REALTORS Helping Homeowners

"Doing what we can to help homeowners, says Brian Sears member of the REALTOR Association of Pioneer Valley."

Trees are still being planted in tornado damaged areas: wwlp.com

Community Events

SATURDAY IS A BIG DAY 
IN WESTERN MASS.

Berkshire Highlands Penthathlon
March 31st, 2012 in Charlemont, MA
Events begin at 10am at Berkshire East Ski Resort


Bring the whole family, fun event!

Shelburne Falls Area Business Association
16th Annual Auction is Saturday Night
Shelburne-Buckland Community Center
Main Street, Shelburne Falls, MA

Over 100 items to be auctioned

$20.00 per ticket

Call 413.625.2526 to reserve your ticket TODAY!

Housing Market Recovering? Good Question!

Coldwell Banker sees signs of housing recovery.  Fox Business News interviewed Budge Huskey and discussed the outlook of the housing market and the signs of recovery. 

Keeping up with the news on the housing market you have to ask yourself, what are we looking for that will tell us the market is recovering?  In the confusion of all the numbers presently shared by professionals, which one will tell us if the housing market is turning around? 

". . . higher prices won't be the sign that tells us there's a real recovery under way. Rather, the recent pick-up in sales is what we should pay attention to."  Read more  . . . 

Turners Falls Sports Boosters Annual Fundraiser

Turners Falls Sports Booster Club's

9th Annual Fundraising Event

presents

Saturday Night, May 5th, 2012

French King Entertainment Center

Pasta Stations
DJ Dancing  later with Bobby C

$30.00/pp

Limited Tickets Available (200)

Past Shows Have Sold Out!

Reservations for Groups of 8 or More!

Doors Open at 6pm /  Show at 9pm

Raffle Drawings for Bruins, Red Sox and Patriots items and much, much, more.

Call Sponsors for Tickets

Don Mailloux  
413.665.3771 x104, 413.423.3810, or 413.834.1527 

413.423.3047Cash, Checks or Credit Cards Accepted

Misty Lyons
413.522.2216

Scotty's Convenience Store

413.863.9634

Home & Garden Show

March 22-25, 2012
Eastern States Exposition
West Springfield, MA
413.733.8158
No matter what your age, the "Original" Western Mass Home & Garden Show has fun for the entire family and the opportunity to win lots of prizes. 

WEBSITE

Celebrating their 58th year

Over 350 vendors

Everything for the home and garden 

One of the largest home shows in the country 

Local and national vendors 

Extensive advertising campaign: TV, radio, print and mail 

Two buildings and an outdoor area 

Over 600 booths

Coming Soon! 2012 Income Tax Deadline

Tuesday, April 17th, 2012 is the IRS deadline for filing your 2011 Income Taxes. As a homeowner you will find some advantages.  HouseLogic has some great articles for homeowners, reminding us of things to look for and remember.  
                          
Here is a sampling of what you can find:

How to Deduct Your Mortgage Interest & Equity Loan Costs Read more: 

6 Home Deduction Traps and How to Avoid Them Read more:
Did You Sell Your Home After Making Improvements? Read more:
2 Tax Deductions You Won't Get Next Year Read more:

Hampshire County MA - 2012 Property Tax Rates

(Dollar amount is per $1,000 of assess property value).
Information compiled from Mass.gov website.

• Amherst  -  $19.74
  
• Belchertown  -  $16.56
  
• Chesterfield  -  $15.97
  
• Cummington  -  $11.09
  
• Easthampton  -  $13.27
  
• Goshen  -  $13.47
  
• Granby  -  $15.87
  
• Hadley  -  $10.22
  
• Hatfield  -  $10.73
  
• Huntington  -  $15.12
  
• Middlefield  -  $15.78
  
• Northampton  -  $13.35
  
• Pelham  -  $19.64
  
• Plainfield  -  Not published
  
• South Hadley  -  $14.73
  
• Southampton  -  $14.01
  
• Ware  -  $15.89
  
• Westhampton  -  $16.40
  
• Williamsburg  -  $15.49
  
• Worthington  -  $13.69

From Sap to Sugar!

YES! It is the time of year when we see the maple tree taps and head to our local sugarhouses and this year will be no exception.  Your whole family will enjoy this outing from the rural settings to the pancakes and syrup.  Here is a list of some local sugarhouses with websites providing directions and menu's, check them out.

South Face Farm Sugarhouse
Ashfield, MA  website


Williams Sugarhouse
Deerfield, MA  website


High Hopes Sugarhouse
Worthington, MA  website

Pentathlon in West County

Saturday, March 31, 2012


The 1st annul Berkshire Highlands Pentathlon features many of the best outdoor adventures in our area.  The town of Charlemont, MA offers the perfect setting for a Pentathlon with Berkshire East Ski slopes, Deerfield River and the winding roads of West County.
    The 5 Events

1. 10K train run
2. 23 miles of road biking
3. 5 miles of kayaking
4. a mile to the top mountain
5. downhill ski to the finish

Complete information on their website.  Sign up your team or mark you calendar to attend this exciting outdoor team event.