Market stability isn’t coming anytime soon! This was another volital week that seems to go up one day and sell off the next. Today’s May Retail Sales figure down 1.2% was the biggest decline in the past 8 months. The key questions going forward are, does this have anything to do with the unemployment rate currently at 9.7% and is the consumer all done spending or will they be back? Retail Sales measures the pulse of the consumer and is a key indicator of how the economy may be doing. On the flip side, it seems that the confidence level of the consumer is doing okay. Consumer Sentiment in June (prelim) was up to 75.5% VS May’s figure of 73.6%.

Mortgage applications decreased 5.7% this past week and is down 30.4% since Memorial Day week last year. This is a huge figure and no doubt directly correlated with the ending of the Home Buyer Tax Credit Program. Many people are concerned about weakness coming back to the housing sector. It is still my opinion that there hasn’t been a better time to buy in the past 20+ years. Mortgage rates have been stable and this is great for the housing market. 30 Year Fixed Rate National average was down alittle to 4.81% and the 15 Year Fixed Rate average rose slightly to 4.26%. Home prices gained .9% in April month over month but, down 2.8% year over year.

Yesterday the market saw it’s 3rd best day in 2010 and was up 273 points. It is my opinion which is also shared with alot of other Wall Streeter’s that you should be buying on the dips and selling into the rallies. This is how I would be trading in a market like this. The days of long term investing is gone for right now and the key is to preserve as much of your capital as possible.

Many things still trouble the markets and a resolution to these things don’t seem likely anytime soon. BP’s Oil Disaster is a huge burden, as well as the potential credit crisis spreading in Europe. However, today’s auction of the Spain and Italy Bonds (which went well) seem to indicate the debt issue may not be as bad as people had expected. The Euro stabilizing is another positive sign. I feel gold hitting an all time high on Tuesday $1,245 an ounce is an extremely negative factor hanging over the market and an indication that the market / people feel the debt crisis may not be over. I still believe that if you want our economy to grow we have to stop the massive government spending and cut taxes across the board to promote growth. Since this isn’t the way the current administration is heading (actually directly the opposite) we may be in for some turbulent times ahead.

The Andover Historical Society is a busy and vibrant center for local history located in downtown Andover, Massachusetts.

The Amos Blanchard House and Barn Museum in Andover, Massachusetts, recreates the life and times of a typical middle-class family of the early 19th century.  Educational programs and changing exhibits explore many aspects of   Andover’s fascinating 350-year history. It’s a fantastic place to bring the kids or a class to show them what it was like living without any modern day conveniences.

The Andover Historical Society, founded in 1911. It maintains the museum, a library, archives and research center where objects / documents of local historical significance are collected, preserved, exhibited and interpreted. The Andover Historical Society tells the unique stories of Andover. Having an active community involvement, the Society fosters a strong community that knows its history, values what it inherits, and takes pride in what it passes on to future generations.

http://www.andoverhistorical.org/

The Town of North Andover is located in Essex County in the northeastern part of Massachusetts on the banks of the Merrimack River and approximately 24 miles from Boston.  North Andover is bordered by the towns of Andover, North Reading, Boxford, and Middleton and the cities of Methuen, Haverhill, and Lawrence – covering almost 27 square miles.

Reverend John Woodbridge paid to Indian Chief Cutshmache six pounds and a coat for Cochichewick Plantation in 1646. The Great Seal of the Town of North Andover depicts  Lake Cochichewick meaning “place of great cascades”.  This was soon changed to Andover in honor of Andover, England, the birthplace of the original freeholders.  The dispute over location of church sites came before the General Court in 1709 and the North Parish and South Parish were established.  The growth of the two different communities of interest led finally to the separation of the two parishes on April 7, 1855, into two distinct townships.  North Andover has always cherished its North Parish roots.  Anne Bradstreet became America’s first published woman poet in the 1650.  This remarkable woman of frail health raised eight children in the wilderness and died in North Andover in 1672.  The Stevens Memorial Library houses this comprehensive collection.  The North Parish Church was the Town’s original meeting place and is the focal point of our “Old Center”.

The Parson Barnard House, North Andover Historical Society, Stevens Coolidge House, The Stevens Estate at Osgood Hill, our Brick Store in the historic center, and the Phillips Brooks Statue on the North Andover Common are other historic destinations.

The Town of North Andover is home to almost 30,000 people.  North Andover takes great pride in providing excellent education for all our students.  All five elementary schools, our Middle School, North Andover High School, and the Greater Lawrence Technical School, reflect our rich tradition and accomplishments.  Community growth necessitated school building projects to meet its expanding needs.  These projects included the new Annie Sargent Elementary School, the new Thomson School, a complete renovation of our Middle School, and the new North Andover High School and stadium.  The “North Andover High School Scarlet Knights” of today carry on a rich tradition of competition and sportsmanship through all its athletic endeavors.  The North Andover High School Marching Band, Chorus, Drama, Arts Programs, and other extra-curricular activities provide excellent learning opportunities and experiences. North Andover was selected by Money Magazine in 2003 as the “Fifth Best Community to live in on the  East Coast”.

Virtual Media Realty is located at 18 Waverly Rd. North Andover, MA.

We are conveniently located close to RT 495, 125, 114 and centrally located 30 minutes north of Boston.

We were founded with the mission to bring cutting edge technology of social media to the Merrimack Valley Area and Greater Boston.  Since 90% of Home Buyers and Sellers intial search starts online, Virtual Media Realty has a huge competitive advantage by bringing tools like Video, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, Photo’s, and Real Time Video to the consumers to help them make better decisions and bring transparency to the home buying / selling process.

When asked about how Virtual Media Realty is different than other Real Estate Companies, Greg Afarian, Virtual Media Realty Realtor specializing in the Andover, North Andover area’s along with the Greater Boston Real Estate Market, remarked, “We can do things no other Real Estate Agency can do anywhere.  We offer real time viewing of properties for clients that need to see properties, but either can not make it to the viewing locally, or are from out of state or out of country.  We can do all this in real time as we are walking thorough the property and potential buyers and clients can view the property in real time and ask our agents questions while we are on site.  There is No other agency in the country that can do that, and that is just one of many cutting edge technologies that we offer at no additional cost to our clients.”  Greg continues to say, “Our main goal is to offer a real estate experience like no other.  People are a lot more educated in the home buying process nowadays and we just want to make sure they have all the tools and answers to make the right decision.  With the advent of Social Networking, online reputation management, and Real Time Video Streaming, we offer our selling clients an extremely unique means of selling property that is extremely effective and utilized in such a way that minimizes the time a property will stay on market before being SOLD.”

Greg continues, “It’s all about the number of eyeballs we can get to view the property…it is truly a numbers game in this market.  The more people that see the property, the more likely the property will sell that much faster and we can certainly get alot of eyeballs on our clients properties”

Virtual Media Realty is always looking for agents to join the team that want to embrace new technologies and stay ahead of the curve in technology that is clearly here to stay.

Hours of Operation:

Monday thru Friday             10 am to 5 pm

or by appointment after normal business hours

Saturday and Sunday           By Appointment Only

Directions

From the South / Boston Area

Take the ramp onto I-93 N to exit 44A
to merge onto I-495 N toward Lawrence, to exit 43 for Mass. Ave toward N Andover
Merge onto Massachusetts Ave Turn left at Waverly Rd

From the North / Haverhill Area Take RT 495 South

Head south on MA-125 S/Main St toward Park Way
Continue to follow MA-125 S right at Sutton St
Turn left at Main St then right at Waverly Rd

Thomson School District is a beautiful area of North Andover, MA in Essex County. Located conveniently to Routes 495, RT133, RT114, and RT 125 it is a perfect setting for a growing family in a classic New England setting.

The school was established in memory of Albert E. Thompson in 1924. The original school was a one room school house.

Thompson, the North Andover native joined the Army when he was only 15, dropping the “p” in his name so he could fake his age. The enlistment age was 18 and did this to not risk being tracked down. He was the town’s first soldier killed in World War I. The Thomson Elementary School was rebuilt in 1948 and then totally redesigned in the early 1999.

Located at 266 Waverly Rd. North Andover, MA 01845 and the school is home to more than 400 students which ranges from ages of K-5.

40 Days and 40 Nights of Rain, What It Means for Home Buyers

For anyone that has bought a home or obtained a mortgage in the past years they would know that one requirement is obtaining a Flood Certificate. This is a critical piece of paperwork! Banks won’t lend money without one and if you’re in a Flood Zone you can’t get financing unless you have Flood Insurance.

FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) is an agency that helps coordinates disasters in the United States. Once the Governor of a state declares a State of Emergency FEMA and the Federal Government are formally requested to assist in the disaster. Part of their role is to determine the Flood Maps for the country. When a person applies for a mortgage a Flood Certificate is ordered through a third party company for the lending institution to determine if the property is locatedin a Flood Zone. Federal Banking regulations mandate this whenever someone is taking out any kind of mortgage. (1st Mortgage or Home Equity) If your property is determined to be in a Flood Zone (even if you have no mortgage and obtaining a Home Equity Line) you would be required to obtain Flood Insurance prior to closing.

Recently Lenders are now doing final inspections prior to closing to ensure the house hasn’t been flooded. It’s become an added expense and in most cases could be a life changing experience. Water destroys everything so my suggestion would be to 1. choose properties accordingly and 2. If there is any kind of water history in a property to seriously consider supplemental coverage. In most cases regular homeowners insurance will not cover this kind of damage. If you don’t have coverage and the Federal Government allocates money’s to a state for damages, you could expect the amount of money you’d receive for repairs to be a fraction of the costs since it would have to be split amongst all the uninsured.

The FED leaves rates UNCH. Prime Rate at 3.25% and Fed Funds rate at .25%

Housing / New Permits fell 5.9% in February.

Consumer Price Index in February was UNCH, the core CPI which excludes food and energy rose .1%
The Core CPI up 1.3% in the past year. Smallest gain in 6 years.

DOW closed at 10,742. NASD closed at 2,374. Crude Oil hits $80.64.

30 YR Fixed Rate Average 4.91%
15 YR Fixed Rate Average 4.24%

Merrimack Valley Real Estate Stats. Last month 107 properties Under Agreement and 87 SOLD.
Compared to 1 year ago there was 66 SOLD which mean sales are up 20% from last year this time.

Stocks to watch RIMM, VLO, CSX, BIDU

Greg Afarian’s Market Report Week of 3-8

Retail Sales in February rose 0.3%

Consumer Sentiment Dips in March to 72.5% from 73.6 in February

10 YR Since the Tech Bubble. CNBC’s Lack of Compassion always makes me sick!

Crude Oil hits $81.24 and Gold is at $1,107 an Ounce.

$3.00 a Gallon Gas?

Greece credit crisis continues and has more riots in the streets.

30 YR Fixed Rate Average 5.01%
15 YR Fixed Rate Average 4.32%

Stocks to watch GOOG, RIMM, VLO

Carlos Slim $53.5 BILLION as World’s Richest Man.

About the Me: The above Real Estate information was provided by Greg Afarian, l can be reached via email or send me a message on Twiter

Have a home to sell on the NorthShore in Mass? I’ll help you with my social media skills for a quick transaction to help save you time and money.

I service the following towns in Boston and the Greater Boston Area. Andover, North Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, Haverhill, Boxford, Bradford, Dracut, Reading, North Reading, and beyond.

Looking for the latest in Boston Foreclosures, Boston Real Estate and surrounding area.  We have the latest list of Foreclosures, Short Sales, REO property.  We cover the entire state of MA with emphasis on Boston and surrounding area, Andover, North Andover, and their surrounding areas.  Please visit us here to get started in the most up to the minute list of Foreclosures in the area of choice.

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We look forward to speaking with you about your property requirements!