Andover     $395,000

When you seriously feel you deserve something special, this move-in ready house is it. Fenced yard, patio keeps kids and pets safe. 3 bedrooms and recent kitchen redo including appliances. Built solid in the 1920's. Dead end street just minutes to highways, The Loop, Timony School District. Short sale in process needs appraisal. Hurry on this one! HARD-TO-FIND- 2 CAR GARAGE, 2 bedrooms upstairs plus a 1st floor bedroom too. GIVE YOURSELF A GREAT START

North Andover    $324,900

You’ll fall in love with this storybook house. Lovely front porch welcomes you into the 3 bedroom, beautifully decorated home. New Pella windows, new appliances, a new gas boiler, new insulation and new paint, high ceilings, window seats, hardwood floors and numerous built-ins. Enjoy the outdoors on your new patio overlooking private, fenced yard on this quiet street. It's an easy walk to the library, downtown and schools. Don't miss out!

Andover   $299,900

Charming Cape in the Shawsheen Heights area of Andover. Spacious corner lot with detached 2 car garage. Breathtaking ultra private yard and oversized 2 car garage with storage above. Many of the windows are newer. Seller offers a $6,000 credit to repair or replace the roof. Pre-sale home inspection was done in April 2010 and is available with a 2nd showing. Sale contingent on license to sell.

Andover     $499,900

Great Opportunity - Completely Renovated Colonial Style home close to town and walking distance to the High School & Middle School. ALL NEW kitchen and baths, siding, roof, updated plumbing and electric, ceramic flooring, beautiful hardwood in all bedrooms, sparkling fresh! Large master with bath plus 2 good sized additional bedrooms. Finished lower level with fireplace adds to the package. Super level lot with large deck!

North Andover     $519,900

Better than New!! This home has been incredibly well maintained and offers all the updates and features any buyer would want in a home. From the beautiful high quality shingle look vinyl siding to the new kitchen and baths this home is as 'turn key' as they come. Classic Center Entrance Colonial floor plan, front to back LR, DR, spacious eat in kitchen leads to vaulted ceiling family room with fireplace and sliders to granite patio and yard. 4 BR's 2.5 Bths, 2 car garage and beautiful yard!!!

Andover     $399,900

Newly Painted House with Two Units Ideal for Self-living or Real Estate Investment! This House Features10 Rooms, 5 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, 4 Fireplaces, 2 Kitchens, and an Enclosed Porch. Two Storage Sheds in the Spacious Side Yard. Well Maintained Front Yard with Shrub Fence. 1st Floor Laundry Area. Near Downtown Location with Convenient Access to Rte. 133 & 28, I-495 and I-93, and Walking Distance to Andover High School and West Middle School. Many Area Amenities!

North Andover     $599,900

Truly a remarkable home!! The Widow Parker's Tavern. Antique colonial located near historic Old Center!! Five bay facade with many period details still intact. Wide floor boards with generous sized rooms, high ceilings, 8 fireplaces. Beautiful center hall with two sided staircase and large public rooms completing the first floor. Four good sized bedrooms and two full baths on second floor. Raised wood paneling, beamed ceilings, newer heating system, 2 car garage are just some of its features.

Reading   $289,900

Ranch style home set high on over 1/2 acre lot features 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, fireplace living room and first floor family room. a great starter home with many possibilites or use lot to build your dream home. Lot becomes level at the end of the driveway.

Haverhill     from $419,000

NEW YOUR THING? Open plan? It's all yours in this customized 2 story, 3 bedroom home that's just the right size. Here's a new home that offers you a little bit more. Large treed, nearly an acre lot in natural setting bordered by stonewalls. Oversized deck off kitchen-family room. This floor plan rocks. Compared to others, it's shines bright. Hardwood, tile, granite, detailed trim, gas fireplace are just a few of the details waiting the lucky family who buys this!

Andover     $619,900

Perfect North of Boston location with large living rooms and bedrooms, along with a fitting large fenced in yard with a gunite pool. 1st floor master bedroom/in-law suite, 3 full baths and lots of closet space. Kitchen open to family room - equipped with steel appliances and gas cooking. New hardwood flooring and cedar fence around the yard. An opportunity in a very desirable Andover neighborhood!

Type

Price

Andover

North Andover

Active

UAG

3 Mons. Sold

Pending Ratio

Months Supply

Active

UAG

3 Mons. Sold

Pending Ratio

Months Supply

Condo

$0-99

2

0

2

0%

3.0

1

0

1

0%

3.0

$100-199

17

1

0

6%

-

24

6

15

20%

6.0

$200-299

12

0

8

0%

4.5

20

3

9

13%

7.7

$300-399

7

2

1

22%

27.0

14

3

6

18%

8.5

$400+

8

3

3

27%

11.0

12

1

1

8%

39.0

46

6

14

12%

11.1

71

13

32

15%

7.9

Multi

$0-99

0

0

0

-

-

0

0

0

-

-

$100-199

0

0

0

-

-

0

0

0

-

-

$200-299

0

0

0

-

-

4

2

1

33%

18.0

$300-399

2

0

0

0%

-

2

0

2

0%

3.0

$400-499

2

1

0

33%

-

0

0

0

-

-

$500+

0

0

0

-

-

4

0

0

0%

-

4

1

0

20%

-

10

2

3

17%

12.0

Single

$0-99

0

0

0

0%

3.0

0

0

0

-

-

$100-199

1

0

1

-

-

5

0

1

0%

15.0

$200-299

5

1

4

17%

4.5

16

2

5

11%

10.8

$300-399

19

3

13

14%

5.1

22

1

13

4%

5.3

$400-499

23

7

22

23%

4.1

14

3

16

18%

3.2

$500-599

15

8

24

35%

2.9

22

6

17

21%

4.9

$600-699

16

4

9

20%

6.7

21

4

3

16%

25.0

$700-799

10

0

9

0%

3.3

7

0

4

0%

5.3

$800-899

10

3

6

23%

6.5

2

1

2

33%

4.5

$900+

26

9

10

26%

10.5

11

1

0

8%

-

125

35

98

22%

4.9

120

18

61

13%

6.8

Totals

175

42

112

19%

5.8

201

33

96

14%

7.3

Here's what one recent buyer is saying:

"As a first time home buyer, my goal was to put together a team that would most efficiently guide me though the buying experience, but also educate me on the details of the process.  While searching for the right buyers’ agent, I had interviewed several prospective agents and dealt with two before finally resolving on Susan Sells.

I found that Susan took the necessary time to truly understand our preferences as well as our restrictions. Her confidence and knowledge of small details that I had otherwise missed made her opinion valuable in narrowing down home choices.

Another differentiating factor was that she actually went on house viewings with me and kept on the searching even if we were not together. I found very quickly that these seemingly straightforward activities were not so standard with other agents (a few agents wanted me to look through emailed search results and to just notify them when I found something I wanted to buy) or they wanted me to do drive-bys.

The closing process was extremely straightforward due to proactive work from all involved members and early engagement by Susan with all the parties including a good relationship with the selling agent and other members of my ‘team’ including my lender.  I would be using Susan for all future real estate transactions and recommend her without hesitation to friends and co-workers. "

Thanks.

To all my friends and clients,

• Arugula or Baby Spinach Salad with Pomegranate and Toasted Pecans…plenty of crunch and zest
• Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes…Vitamins

• Allspice – Columbus discovered this spice in 1494. It is the ripe sun-dried berry of an evergreen tree. Its flavor resembles a blend of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. It is available whole or ground. Use sparingly. Cooking Uses: Whole allspice can be added to soups, stews, and pot roasts,  Ground allspice can be used when cooking meat loaf, or non-meat loaf, tomato based sauces, squash, sweet potatoes and carrots. It also goes well in apple pie filling, cakes, cookies, puddings, and in mulled cider.

• Cinnamon – This spice widely known and available in sticks or ground and comes from the bark of an evergreen tree. Cooking Uses: Use a cinnamon stick as a stirrer in hot coffee, tea or spiced cider. Break a cinnamon stick in half and add to your coffee maker along with ground coffee when brewing a pot of coffee. .

• Pepper – Pepper is the world’s most popular spice. It is the dried fruit of the flowering pepper vine plant and can be native to the East Indies. Cooking Uses:. Fresh ground and organic pepper has a more vibrant fragrance than commercial ground pepper. Season stuffing, meats, salad dressing, to flavor freshly diced tomatoes,

• 1 large red onion or 1 leek, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 pound Swiss chard, cleaned and torn in half, or 1/2 oz. porcini mushrooms, soaked and drained
• Half of a peperoncino or any hot red pepper, fresh or dried
• 1/2 cup tomato pulp from plum tomatoes (seeded, juiced, and chopped if fresh) or drained and diced if canned)
• 3 cups simmering water
• sea salt
• 2 eggs (preferably organic)
• 2 slices rustic, country-style bread, lightly toasted
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Tuscan pecorino cheese

Susan

      Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to find a place that meets most of your needs and wants. But waiting for perfection may be a mistake.

By comparing houses on the with only the “dream” in your head, you risk missing out on properties that meet most of your requirements. These may be terrific homes, well priced in the that ultimately go to another buyer.

Instead judge each house by its own merits. Compile a list of items and features that are important to you and place them in order of importance. Then evaluate houses against these criteria. Ask yourself: Does it meet my most important criteria? How do I really feel about not getting certain items on my list? Will I be really disappointed when somebody else buys this house? Then, be careful not to let every item become a roadblock that prevents you from buying what is truly a dream home.

    First, and you’ve heard this before...Location, Location, Location! I rate each property by its location and compare it to its competition in the .

Second, I look to see that it’s the cheapest house in its category and neighborhood.

Third, I calculate its VSF or Value per square foot. Now using all three criteria I’ll start to make my list and then pare it down to what I think are the very best values for the week.

Where should you start? Hire an agent to look out for your interests, one who knows the inside out and can advise you. Having a knowledgeable Buyer’s Agent at your side will pay huge dividends by not only helping you to find your next home but by guiding you throughout the entire process.

Compare the neighborhoods you might be interested in. Look at things like location, schools, convenience. Check out the neighborhood itself, are the homes well kept.

Get pre-qualified by a lender so that when the right home comes along you’ll be ready to go.

If you’re a first-time buyer, attend a Home Buying Seminar.  Come to one I’m having on May 3 from 2-4. Call me at 978-470-2048 for details.

 Sign up at SusanSells.com for our HomeSearcher Program. It’s FREE and it will update you daily as new homes hit the . Remember, it’s called a Buyers for a reason!

Want to get my Top 10 sent to your email every week...drop me an email at homes@susansells.com and ask for it!

    The same holds true for those Buyers waiting to see when the will hit bottom. Before they’re able to recognize it the moment will be gone and prices will have begun to move back up.

A recent article in TIME presents a compelling case. Even if home prices drop by as much as 10 percent, a slight uptick in interest rates stands to raise monthly payments to levels that exceed or even cancel out the lower price!

Remember, It’s Always A Good Time To Buy Good Real Estate!