Meet Jason and Christina!  Newlyweds who just checked "buy a house" off their list of goals for 2019!  I first met these two at an open house I hosted back in the summer of 2018.  At that time, they knew buying a house was in the not-so distant future, but they had a wedding to plan and were unsure how soon they would be able to focus on operation "buy a house".  We kept in touch and as soon as they were back from their honeymoon we dove right in to home shopping.  It did not take them very long to find "the one" and overall things went quite smoothly!  We only had one small hiccup with the appraisal which caused a delay on the closing.  No one is thrilled when there has to be a delay but I'm happy to report, the buyers were patient, the sellers worked hard to address the issue quickly and the listing agent and myself kept in touch and passed around the appropriate paperwork as needed when needed.  It could not have gone better considering!  And when all was said and done, my clients had their tree up in their new house in time for Christmas!  Congratulations to the Saunders family!  Wishing you many years of happiness in your new home and looking forward to seeing you again! 

​What could be more fun than helping to facilitate the sale of a super cute vacation home in MA for another agent in your office who is only licensed in CT?  The only thing more fun than that is when said CT agent is also one of your besties and you KNOW you'll also get to enjoy their new vacation home!  

Meet Desiree and Rob!  Two of the greatest friends I have ever known.  And I can't forget to introduce, Mocha, she's a good friend too (most of the time!).  So if you are having a hard time tracking me down, you can probably find me lounging by the fire with these guys... until spring when I'll start lounging by the lake.  I'm so happy for my friends and so glad I was able to help them acquire this little gem!     

​43 Otter Pond Trl
Tolland, MA 01034
1 bedroom, 1 bathroom

​SOLD!
9/9/2019

My husband and I have been proud members of the Hampden County Beekeepers Association since 2011 when we started our own beekeeping journey by attending the HCBA Bee School!  Each year, I volunteer for our club's bee school committee and you can usually find me checking-in potential new beekeepers at registration on class days.  I try to attend as many lessons as I can each year at bee school and I continue to be surprised by how much there is to learn about honeybees!  

If you have ever been interested in keeping honeybees this is a great way to start!  Three classes total, one Saturday per month in January, February and March and you'll be ready to start the season as a beekeeper in April!  

The 2020 HCBA BEE SCHOOL is a 3 day program that provides attendees with the knowledge an aspiring beekeeper needs to begin beekeeping at the hobbyist level. Also included is access to a mentor for your first year of beekeeping, membership to the Hampden County Beekeepers Association, access to monthly meetings and various educational materials provided throughout the class.

ALL THREE DATES ARE PART OF THE PROGRAM.

Class Dates:

January 11, 2020 9AM - 3PM (1 hour break for lunch)

February 15, 2020 9AM - 3PM (1 hour break for lunch)

March 7, 2020 9AM - 3PM (1 hour break for lunch)

Membership to the Hampden County Beekeepers Association is included for all attendees so they can attend more advanced classes later in the year.

Doors will be open by 8:30AM latest, for registration and light refreshments every class date.

ALL CLASSES TAKE PLACE AT:
Longmeadow Highschool Auditorium 
95 Grassy Gutter Rd
Longmeadow, MA 01106

Questions?? [email protected]

This is a story about being in the right place at the right time.  The day this house was listed for sale I saw it and said, "Hmm... that looks like a very good investment property."  Then I booked an appointment for my husband and I to see it.  The house was close to home, recently remodeled from bottom to top, and all ready for new tenants.  A very attractive total package.  On the way out of house we ran into two of the neighbors chatting out front.  One of them told me she REALLY wanted to buy the house.  So I offered her a tour.  That's how I met Erin, and she did in fact buy that house!  Congratulations, Erin!  You've made a very smart investment, good luck with your landlording future! 

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I volunteered to help with the prep and set up for the Thanksgiving Celebration Meal at Enfield Loaves and Fishes.  It was my first time at the soup kitchen and I was delighted to see how easy it was to just slide in and help out.  Everyone was friendly, there were plenty of jobs to do and our many hands made for light work.  There is something very special about a room full of strangers working together to help others.  It feels good.  From peeling and chopping to cleaning and mopping we all pitched in and in just a few hours time, the place was in great shape for a special occasion meal the next day.    

Everyone feels charitable during the holidays, and I'm glad I caught that bug!  But it did get me thinking about how there are an overabundance of volunteers this time of year and a lack of them in the remaining 10 months.  I've been inspired to work on becoming an "off-season" volunteer and hope to find ways to help my local charities more often throughout the year. 

If you are in the Enfield area and are feeling altruistic, please consider donating time, needed items or money to Enfield Loaves and Fishes .  Below is a list of upcoming events they need help with.  
​

Northern Correctional Institution is a high-security state prison in Somers, in the northern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The prison houses the state's male convicts serving long sentences for violent crimes and it housed the death row for inmates before the abolition of the death penalty in Connecticut.

So what the heck were Colleen and I doing there?  Helping to support the wellness of it's employees, of course!  The Counselor Supervisor organized a wellness fair for the employees of the CT Department of Corrections and I was very happy to be invited.  We were on hand offering free real estate consultations and sharing information on buying, selling, investing and even renting.  I always love the opportunity to educate the public about what a real estate agent can do for you and how investing in real estate can brighten your financial future no matter when you do it, so this was a great day at the "office" for me!  

The wellness fair was held in the gym, which meant passing through security and entering the facility.  After a brief hold up at the metal detector (think underwire bra), we were official "inside"  The grey cinder block halls were dimly lit and we had to pass through several doors that had to be opened and closed with complicated key and camera systems.  Hard to believe, I know, but it was my first time in prison!  I thought it looked just like I expected it to from all the  Lock Up Raw I've watched over the years on TV.  

Once in the gym, we set up at tables and got ready to meet the facility's employees​.

Did I mention that they confiscated our phones on our way in?  Good thing I'm one of those crazy people who have a digital camera in my bag too, or I would have never been able to capture the moment above.  Look, Mom!  I'm in prison! 

​We had a great day chatting with everyone at Northern Correctional and overall it was an awesome experience.    

Even the food was good! 

243 Woodland Rd
Coventry, CT 06238
110 feet of waterfront
$295,000.00

Does anyone remember the little door knocking exercise I worked on this summer?  It just happened to be one of the hottest weeks of the summer and it was sweaty work.  It's now December and I'm finally reaping the rewards of my literal sweat equity!  I had clients who were looking for a house in a very specific neighborhood where there were very few houses for sale.  I visited every house in the neighborhood and left a door hanger for those not home to let them know about my clients and their desire to buy a home in the neighborhood.  At first I received no response at all, but as summer was winding down, I got a call from a couple who were thinking about selling and the rest is history!  It just so happened to be the perfect house for my buyers, enforcing my belief that if you want something badly and are willing to put in hard work to get it, the payoff will be provided!  So many pieces had to fall into place for this sale to happen... My clients had to sell their own house, the people buying their house had a house out of state to sell and the sellers of this house were counting on my buyers to buy their house in order to buy their new house.  Did you get all that?  Some how, all of those things happened on the exact day we pinned on the calendar 60 plus days earlier.  I've never seen so many moving parts slide into place so seamlessly.  What a ride!