HomeStars – News and Updates

Housing Trends: Small (and green) is in

We’re just starting to look for a home to buy after moving to metroWest from western MA, selling our home out there, and renting for a spell here. Home shopping has been fascinating. Our favorite tool is Trulia; we have a specific part of a certain town where we want to live, and being able to visually look at homes for sale on a map is a feature that frankly should have been available long ago.

We are pretty standard, middle class folks, so we’re not looking at 7-figure homes, but we’re not looking at burned out shacks, either. What we are interested in is a smaller (1500 square feet would be ideal) home. Finding a smaller home in good shape AND in our desired area is turning out to be a bit harder than we’d originally planned. The homes all tend to be too large for our taste.

Many newer homes are 2000 square feet or larger. Having lived in a 2100 square foot home with an 800 sf attic and 800 sf basement years ago, we know that heating bills are a killer. We know that we use about 1000 square feet comfortably, and tend to congregate in the family room; 1500 square feet works well for us, and is much more affordable to heat.

We’re noticing many 2500 square foot homes on the market, at prices that are far more reasonable than we’d have otherwise expected. Our real estate agent says that she’s hearing the same thing repeatedly from buyers: I don’t want to have to pay to heat a huge home.

We also want to have an energy-efficient home. If you have $2.8 million, you can even have a nearly carbon-neutral home:

For the high-profile crowd that turned out to celebrate a new home in Venice, Calif., the attraction wasn’t just the company and the architectural detail. The house boasted the builders’ equivalent of a three-star Michelin rating: a LEED platinum certificate.

The actors John Cusack and Pierce Brosnan, with his wife, Keely Shaye Smith, a journalist, came last fall to see a house that the builders promised would “emit no harmful gases into the atmosphere,” “produce its own energy” and incorporate recycled materials, from concrete to countertops.

Behind the scenes were Tom Schey, a homebuilder in Santa Monica, and his business partner, Kelly Meyer, an environmentalist whose husband, Ron, is the president of Universal Studios. Ms. Meyer said their goal was to show that something energy-conscious “doesn’t have to look as if you got it off the bottom shelf of a health-food store.”

“It doesn’t have to smell like hemp,” she said.

That was probably a good thing. The four-bedroom house was for sale, with a $2.8 million asking price.

Its rating was built into that price. LEED — an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the hot designer label, and platinum is the badge of honor — the top classification given by the U.S. Green Building Council. “There’s kind of a green pride, like driving a Prius,” said Brenden McEneaney, a green building adviser to the city of Santa Monica, adding, “It’s spreading all over the place.”

Whenever we find our “dream house” or at least our “not a nightmare house,” we plan to find a LEED-certified architect to work on making our home more energy efficient. In western Mass we had geothermal heat and air conditioning; $100-150 per month electric bills (everything in the home except cooking gas) spoiled us. Ideally, we’d like to install such a system in an existing home, although the price tag–$15,000 to $20,000–is daunting. The return on investment is around 10-12 years though, and as energy costs increase, the ROI gets even better.

As you might imagine, LEED-certified professionals are in high demand. If you’re considering a new home that involves a LEED professional, or a renovation that involves one, start contacting them now and getting estimates long before any projects are scheduled to begin.

Posted by MelanieZ

Heating oil and the coming New England winter

If you’ve filled up recently, you know how beautiful lock-in prices look these days. We recently had 130 gallons pumped into our tank, at a lock-in price of $2.69 per gallon.

The non-lock-in price? $4.39 (this was last week–it’s probably higher now). We saved $221 with lock-in pricing. But $2.69/gallon seems like pennies compared to the rate we’ll lock-in to for winter 2008-2009.

$4.50+ per gallon translates into HUGE increases in heating bills for many folks in the Boston area. We used about 500 gallons this winter for our home in metroWest Boston, a 1200 square foot ranch. In our former 1905 federal four-square home in Leominster, we used 1300 gallons to heat the house each winter. When I multiply $4.50 by 1300 I start to hyperventilate. I suspect most of you do, too, if you heat with oil.

As newspapers and television stations cover the heating oil crisis, experts such as Mike Ferrante, president of the Massachusetts Oilheat Council, warn that

“When you need a delivery, you call your local oil heat dealer, and in many cases, it’ll be whatever the price is that day because the market has fluctuated so much.”

The statewide average on June 10 was $4.59 per gallon. Even though demand for home heating oil is considerably higher in the winter, the statewide average on January 1 was actually less — just $3.32 per gallon.

No one can predict what the price will be this winter, but Ferrante suggested homeowners should start budgeting now for even higher costs.

“I don’t care how much money you make every year,” he said. “When the price of home heating oil or energy doubles, something changes in your household.”

Need heating oil financial assistance? Go to Citizens Energy and read about the wide range of energy assistance programs available to people with a wide range of incomes (not just for low-income folks).

Need a new furnace, or to change heating systems? Check out our Heating listings.

Posted by MelanieZ

Mosaic Commons and Camelot Cohousing in Berlin

Two new cohousing communities, Mosaic Commons and Camelot Cohousing, have joined to form Sawyer Hill EcoVillage, in Berlin, MA. Cohousing is a concept that made its way from Scandinavia to the United States in the early 1990s. Part condominium, part commune (kidding!), 100% community, cohousing involves shared resources and a desire to form a community at its heart.

Some established cohousing communities in Massachusetts range from Pine Street Cohousing in Amherst, established in 1994, to Cambridge Cohousing in Cambridge, MA, established in 1998, to New View Cohousing in Acton, established in 1995. With 14 cohousing communities established or underway, Massachusetts is one of the most cohousing-dense states in the U.S.

An EcoVillage is somewhat different from cohousing, however:

EcoVillages use the latest and best practices related to sustainable development and land planning principles, including modestly-sized dwelling units typically clustered to reduce development footprint, various forms of shared common facilities, low vehicle use, and emphasis on neighborhood. Projects (typically) include recycling of construction waste materials, green building techniques and use of sustainable materials, preservation of open space for perpetuity.

Mosaic Commons and Camelot Cohousing share 65 acres of land in Berlin, MA, the site of a former tree farm from which many trees for the Big Dig project were transplanted. The site feels remote and peaceful as you walk it, and the views are breathtaking, and yet the drive from the development to Solomon Pond Mall and 495/290 is under 10 minutes.

Both cohousing developments have unique characteristics. Mosaic Commons has been in development for nearly 8 years and leans toward families with younger children, while Camelot Cohousing started as a project among a group of college friends wanting more daily interaction and social time and expanded to include many more people with a similar desire to find community. Both cohousing communities are open to all.

Each cohousing development will hold 34 households, an ideal number for forming cohousing communities. The entire ecovillage will have a population of over 200 residents ranging from retirees to growing families with infants to singles. Mosaic Commons will have its own common house with a children’s area and exercise facilities and amenities such as a hot tub, while Camelot Cohousing plans for an in-ground pool and a common house with a studio for creative movement/dance/martial arts.

Both communities’ common houses will include commercial kitchens and large dining areas for community dinners and events, with plans to hold group dinners as frequently as 3-4 times per week.

The communities plan extensive overlapping in sharing resources, but also intend to maintain separate identities as well. According to Catya Belfer-Shevett, a Mosaic Commons organizer and resident, “What’s the difference between any two cohousing communities? We’re based out of different core groups, have somewhat different design priorities, facilitate our meetings differently… but we’re both cohousing groups, and happy to be sharing our land.”

The ecovillage has worked closely with the town of Berlin to discuss logistics and town service issues, as the development adds considerable numbers of children to the town school system (about 1/3 plan for public school, 1/3 homeschool, and 1/3 attend private schools) and the communities will require fire, police, and emergency medical services as needed. In cooperation with the town, the ecovillage will maintain a small pond/reservoir to be used as backup for fire services as well.

Both cohousing communities are part of the 40b lottery system for households meeting income guidelines for affordable housing.

The next Intro Meeting and Site Tour will be held on Sunday, July 6: read the Sawyer Hill calendar for details.

Posted by MelanieZ

Reel Lawn Mowers Making a Comeback, or, How to Lose 25 lbs in a Summer

In 2000 we bought a home on 2/3 an acre, and about 1/3 of that was this beautiful lawn. In the spirit of environmental enthusiasm, I bought a Scott Reel Lawn Mower. (They were only $85 back then).

I’d never seen one before, never used one, and vaguely recalled Ward Cleaver mowing for about 5 seconds on Leave It to Beaver (or was it Mr. Mitchell on Dennis the Menace?) with a manual mower, also called a “reel” mower. Reel mowers are simple: a series of diagonal blades trap the grass and slice it against a horizontal metal frame. As long as the blades are sharp, the grass gets cut.

The trick to reel mowing is that you can’t let the lawn go for more than 6 days. Once the lawn gets too long, the grass gets too heavy and you end up with a lawn that looks like a 3 year old mowed it with pinking shears.

As gas prices climb, more folks are buying reel mowers. As it turns out, some manufacturers report than more than half of purchasers are women, as well.

This is where the 25 lbs comes in. I lost 25 lbs back in 2000, mowing our lawn with a reel mower. I also carried a 20-lb toddler on my back in a backpack while I did it, which qualifies me for some sort of physical therapy Darwin Award, because that was just a stretch of parenting home maintenance martyrdom I didn’t need to engage in.

Now that we have a lawn again, I pulled out the old reel mower. We hired a landscaping company to mow the lawn twice a month, and use the reel mower in the weeks between. Best of both worlds.

The downside to owning a reel mower is that it can be very hard to find a place that sharpens the blades. You can buy a DIY sharpening kit, or you can try contacting your local lawn mower sales company or a knife sharpening company to find a place that sharpens the blades.

With gas over $4 a gallon, that $119 mower (find them for less on CraigsList) looks like a smarter investment every day.

Posted by MelanieZ

Consignment Shops for Household Goods?

Whether you’re looking for a bargain, or hoping to make some extra cash from selling unused household goods and furniture, consignment shops that specialize in household goods are a great choice.

Years ago I purchased a gorgeous Bauhaus couch from the Salvation Army in Fitchburg. $25. It was cream-colored, seated three comfortably, and fit in beautifully in our home. Until we had two boys. Then we went couch cover shopping and I learned why you never buy anything cream-colored when you have children (sigh).

While the Salvation Army and Goodwill can be good spots to buy furniture, buying anything upholstered can be a challenge. The quality typically isn’t very good. With consignment shops, the owner vets every piece of furniture and every houseware that comes though, so you know that there is a higher level of quality in your choices.

Prices at consignment shops tend to be a bit higher, but because you get better quality, it’s worth it. You can also establish a relationship with the owner and he or she can let you know when items that you might like come in.

Boston-area and metro-region consignment shops include:

Tables to Teapots in West Acton (located across the street from the incredible Sweet Bites bakery and cafe, so don’t miss out!)
Consignment Gallery at 56 in Clinton
ConsignMint Shop in Fitchburg (bought some great items there myself!)
Furniture Consignment Gallery in Hanover
Malden Center Thrift Store in Boston (intriguing web page, and a huge combination consignment shop and pawn shop)

So where are your consignment haunts? What bargain did you score when buying housewares or furniture? Share in the comments.

Posted by MelanieZ

City of Boston HomeWorks Grant Program Workshop

The City of Boston is holding a workshop on Thursday, May 29 from 6-8pm at the East Boston Harborside Community Center. More on HomeWorks:

HomeWorks is a program sponsored by the City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) that helps Boston homeowners make affordable home improvements. The goal of the program is to assist homeowners with their home improvement projects and provide them with financial and technical assistance.

HomeWorks offers conditional grants for 1/3 of the total cost of certain home improvements, up to a maximum of $4,000 or $5,000 if you paint the exterior of your house. To be eligible for this program, you must be an owner-occupant of a one to four family house, or condominium unit. Your income cannot exceed $63,000 if your household consists of one person, or $90,850 for households of two or more.

HomeWorks conditional grants can be used for just about any home improvement, i.e., update your kitchen or bath, install new windows, replace old boilers, fix rickety porches, just to name a few. To receive the grant, you must obtain the matching funds that are needed to complete your project. These funds can come from a variety of sources: your savings, a gift from your family, a loan from either a bank or a community/neighborhood development corporation.

Learn more about the workshop and registration here.

Posted by MelanieZ

Gas prices on the rise; how walkable is your neighborhood?

This week the average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. was $3.87. More people are turning to carpooling, public transportation, biking, and good old-fashioned walking in an effort to save gas money. People are hiring landscaping companies to save money on lawnmower tractor gas, and even turning to reel mowers (non-motorized) in an effort to save gas.

How walkable is your neighborhood? Enter your address at WalkScore and find out.

My neighborhood scored a 6 out of 100 (100 being the best score). I’m about 1.5 miles from anything, and yet I can walk 1.5 miles in under 30 minutes.

Then again, in the Boston area, shouldn’t there be a Dunkin’ Donuts within walking distance of everyone? The closest DD to my house is 1.1 miles.

Posted by MelanieZ

What’s your profile look like?

Check out our new tools in the My Profile section of your account. Log in, go to My Profile in the upper right-hand corner, and members who have signed up for the Charter Member program will find new tools to keep you in the know about our Charter Member program and more.

Enjoy the weekend! Anyone tackling a major home improvement project? Planting the vegetable garden? Traveling? Post a note in the comments.

Posted by MelanieZ

Are Boston-area foreclosures worth buying?

The news is littered with stories about foreclosures. Opportunities are popping up everywhere, from Framingham to Fitchburg to Cambridge, to buy a foreclosed home. Here in my metroWest town an intriguing property appeared on Trulia, right down the street. An 1800 square foot home on a half acre in the $240K range.

No, it’s not 1997, and it’s not in a high-crime neighborhood. It’s a foreclosure, with significant damage. Home buyers in the Boston area are not just looking at foreclosures to find a good home deal. They’re taking coach bus tours to view foreclosures:

Srikanth Madarapu had his sights set on a Northborough home: a 3,000-square-foot contemporary Colonial priced at $439,900, yet assessed at $570,500. The house offered good curb appeal and seemed to be a phenomenal deal.

Until he walked inside. The foreclosed home was missing its kitchen. There were some appliances, but where you would expect to see cabinets and countertops, there was just empty space – ghosts of the growing national foreclosure crisis.

Madarapu was one of about two dozen potential buyers who paid Marlborough-based DCU Realty – $20 for members of its affiliated Digital Federal Credit Union, $25 for nonmembers – for a bus tour of foreclosed homes on a recent Saturday morning.

With stops in Northborough, Shrewsbury, and Westborough, the sold-out tour offered both modest and impressive homes in varying stages of disarray: torn up floors, overgrown yards, and water damage. Several were obviously in the midst of renovations when the cash ran out.

Is it worth buying a foreclosure that requires significant renovations? What about buying a home that was being renovated and the money ran out, or the owner died? Taking over a home with incomplete renovations carries significant risk. But it can also bring a big payoff if the home is priced below, and sometimes well below, market value.

The foreclosure trend isn’t showing signs of ending anytime soon, and sites such as Foreclosure.com even let you see which of your neighbors are in pre-foreclosure. Home sellers in pre-foreclosure may be more likely to take a low ball price in an effort to salvage their credit, and yet the burden of the loss they incur may be greater than the burden of a foreclosure on their credit report. Pre-foreclosure may slip into foreclosure depending on each homeowner’s individual situation.

There are few generalizations when it comes to the real estate market these days. Home appraisers become more valuable when assessing a foreclosure, as do home inspectors. A good general contractor can come in and give estimates for work needed to overhaul a foreclosure with damage. Finding the right professionals to help guide you through a Boston-area foreclosure can help to decrease risk, but you can’t eliminate it completely.

Posted by MelanieZ

When you want to DIY

Now, HomeStars is about reading, writing, and sharing reviews of home improvement contractors and retailers, and benefiting from the collective experiences of your neighbors when making a decision to hire.

But sometimes you want to do it yourself, or DIY. And sometimes you don’t know what you’re doing. Take my recent kitchen sink story.

My family had just moved from western Massachusetts to metroWest Boston. We sold our house in this crazy market, and the run-up to the closing meant fixing all those little problems we’d just lived with for years. The day before our house closing, we realized we needed to replace the kitchen faucet. Eighteen hours before the 10am closing, my husband climbed under the sink for a “routine” faucet removal. Five tools, four sets of knuckle skin, two trips to hardware stores, one call to my dad in Colorado, and two stripped restraining nuts later, we realized we couldn’t DIY and needed a plumber—fast!

We used HomeStars (of course!) to find a good plumber. Perhaps if I’d known about The Handy Guys and their podcast series, I’d have been better equipped to handle our plumbing issues, or other DIY crises.

The Handy Guys, Brian and Paul, join forces every week for a half-hour podcast that addresses topics ranging from lawn mower maintenance to Toilets 101. Each podcast is easy to download and comes with a long, descriptive post about the podcast itself, if you’re looking for a detailed synopsis of the program before downloading.

When you’re looking for DIY advice, check them out. When you’re looking for a professional contractor, go to HomeStars.com

Posted by MelanieZ