This week I received the official word from the Green REsource Council stating that I am now an official Green designated Realtor®. I hope to utilize this designation and the knowledge I have gained to assist buyers and homeowners who are interested in green and sustainable real estate.  I constantly am seeking out current resources and news within the green and sustainable market, to remain up to speed on the current trends and practices so as to best assist green conscience clients.

NAR’s Green Designation is the only environmental real estate designation addressing multiple specialties. It is also the only green designation for agents AND property managers recognized by the National Association of REALTORS®.

Close to one-half of all greenhouse gas emissions are produced from buildings. Green building isn’t just responsible; it’s necessary. Both consumer demand and government policy are making this happen and shaping the future of our industry. Join them in the green movement and lead your community to a more sustainable future with NAR’s Green Designation.

Here is the press release that has gone out announcing my designation:

LOCAL REALTOR® ACHIEVES NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
OF REALTORS® GREEN DESIGNATION

WILBRAHAM, MASSACHUSETTS – Jason A. Burkins with The Denise DeSellier Team at William Raveis Real Estate has been awarded the National Association of REALTORS®’  Green Designation, the only green real estate professional designation recognized by NAR.

Realtor® Burkins achieved this prestigious designation after completing 18 hours of course work designed specifically for REALTORS®.  The courses were created in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of industry experts from across the country; ensuring designees gain comprehensive knowledge of green homes and buildings and issues of green living, energy conservation, smart growth principles and sustainability in relation to real estate.

More specifically, Jason was trained in understanding what makes a property green, helping clients evaluate the cost/benefits of green building features and practices, distinguishing between industry rating and classification systems, listing and marketing green homes and buildings, discussing the financial grants and incentives available to homeowners, and helping consumers see a property’s green potential.

“As energy costs rise along with concern for the environment, homeowners are looking for innovative ways to save money and live responsibly,” said Dick Gaylord, NAR’s immediate past president.  NAR’s Green Designation was developed in response to growing consumer awareness of the benefits of resource-efficient homes and buildings. The designation helps consumers who care about energy efficiency and sustainable building practices identify REALTORS® who can help them realize their green real estate and lifestyle goals.

As an NAR Green Designee, one of a very select few in Western Massachusetts, Jason Burkins has gained the knowledge and the tools necessary to become a trusted green resource for the Pioneer Valley.

In addition, Burkins has produced a Green Living Real Estate Blog that features news, tips and practical information about Green housing issues in Western Massachusetts. The blog can be found at: http://jburkins.wordpress.com/. For more information about Jason Burkins, please visit http://www.jasonburkins.com/, call 413.537.2838 or e-mail jason@burkins.net.

For more information about NAR’s newest designation, visit www.greenresourcecouncil.org

ActiveRain, The Facebook for Real Estate

Click on the link to view my activerain profile.

Seller’s Dilemma: To Fix or Not to Fix? That is the question!

Photo from uglyhousephotos.com WHY?????

So your tub has hot pink tiles and the kid’s bedroom is Concord grape purple with an aqua marine mermaid border. All fine choices for your family, if you like that sort of thing. But not so much if you are planning on selling your home any time soon.

Everyone wants to live in a home that is personalized to their needs and tastes. But far too often these tastes conflict with the need or desire to sell the home when for one reason or another you need to move.

On the other hand, perhaps you have put off fixing that leaky shower fixture or the hole Johnny punched in the wall in the den when he tripped over the cat.  Or maybe its that cranberry juice stain all over the living room rug that you’ve been hiding under an area rug for 5 years.

Whatever the case may be, you are now in a position where you want to market your home to potential buyers and get the best offer possible to sell your home.  You have a decision to make as to whether to invest the time and money to re-tile, paint over, call a plumber, get out the spackle and trowel or simply show your place to the buyers “as is.”

Depending on the problem, this can be a very costly “fix”. But at the same time, you may lose significant selling power if your home gives off serious negative impressions to the buyers.

Houses are sold or not sold based almost exclusively on first impressions. If your home has good curb appeal, is clean and uncluttered and gives potential buyers a neutral pallet for which they can envision their own tastes, furnishings and lifestyle, then you have a serious leg up on the seller who refuses to depersonalize, declutter or invest in creating a positive first impression.

Regardless of what you do to address the problem, you need to approach it from the perspective of the buyer, not the seller. Imagine yourself walking into a home and how you’d react to the potential problem.

But do not just fix something for the sake of fixing it either. If you go for a cheap fix or a fix that doesn’t jive with the style choice of your potential buyers, you could be doing more harm to your chances of selling than good. The key to all of this is to ask yourself this question before you do anything: Is what I am doing to fix this problem going to ad a new problem for the potential buyers, who will likely want to change it again? If this is the case, then it might be better to just leave it as is and let them make the fixes themselves.

I highly suggest that when faced with this type of dilemma that you get the opinion of some real estate professionals. Talk to your listing agent about the issues, see what he or she has to say about the impact it will have on the sale. Don’t forget that your realtor has a lot invested in selling your home too. He or she will be glad to help you stage your home to maximize its appeal to the buyers.

There is No Success Without Integrity

 

We’ve all heard the jokes. “My realtor sold me a ‘two story house’, one story before the sale, another story after.”  And way too many of these jokes are deserved. Unfortunately, there are too many not very ethical realtors in the business today. This makes the job of the ethical ones twice as difficult and makes it a frustrating challenge for sellers and buyers as well.

 

Providing excellent real estate service requires an agent to be a good listener, to be responsive to the clients’ needs, to develop a great strategy tailored to each unique property or buyer and to document and communicate all of these efforts with the client. The agents I work with are successful because we are always accessible to our clients, we listen to their needs, we consult with the clients honestly and in a straight forward manner, we do our homework and we put in the time to market your home or find the home you are looking for using the latest technologies to find the right match. We all take to heart the idea of treating everyone we work with as we’d like to be treated ourselves. Too many realtors forget this important principle when working with clients.  

 

My integrity is all I have in this business. It is more important to me than any commission I might earn in trade for my principles. I believe it is because of this, that ultimately I will become a real estate agent people look to work with. In the meantime I hope to earn my value in this industry. I accept and look forward to meeting that challenge!

 

Jason A. Burkins

Realtor

 

 

Open House on Wyndham Drive in East Longmeadow on Sunday!

Most Sundays, I facilitate open houses for Denise DeSellier Team listings. I will be posting the properties I will feature during the week before each Open House.

 

 

THIS WEEK’S OPEN HOUSE

43 Wyndham Drive in East Longmeadow

List Price: $549,500

OPEN HOUSE:
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 2009
2-4 PM

  

    

Style: Colonial	Color: Brick
Total Rooms: 11	Bedrooms: 5
Full/Half/Master Baths: 2/1/Yes	Fireplaces: 1
Grade School:	Middle School:
High School:

Directions: Off Parker Street

Remarks

Beautiful brick 11rm Col w/granite detail. Grand 2 story foyer greets you w/marble floor & open staicase. Kitchen w/granite countertops ’07, island and large eat-in area. Large floor to ceiling brick fireplace in family room w/catherdral ceiling & skylites! Ceramic tiled floor in sunroom overlooking the 45.5′ deck & 1.92 wooded arces of usable land. MBR has a jacuzzi tub & walk-in closet. 5th bdrm currently used as office. Full walk-out bsmt & new roof with architecual shingles. 3 car gar

Property Information

Approx. Living Area: 3864 sq. ft.	Approx. Acres: 1.92 (83691 sq. ft.)	Garage Spaces: 3  Attached, Garage Door Opener
Living Area Includes:	Heat Zones: 2  Forced Air, Gas	Parking Spaces: 12  Off-Street
Living Area Source: Owner	Cool Zones: 2  Central Air, 2 Units	Approx. Street Frontage:
Living Area Disclosures: Includes Bonus Room

Room Levels, Dimensions and Features

Room	Level	Size	Features
Living Room:	1	18×15	Wall to Wall Carpet
Dining Room:	1	18×15	Hard Wood Floor, Bay/Bow Windows
Family Room:	1	30×18	Fireplace, Skylight, Cathedral Ceils, Ceiling Fans, Hard Wood Floor
Kitchen:	1	24×15	Ceramic Tile Floor, Dining Area, Pantry, Granite/Solid Counters
Master Bedroom:	2	18×18	Walk-in Closet, Wall to Wall Carpet
Bedroom 2:	2	13×13	Wall to Wall Carpet
Bedroom 3:	2	15×15	Wall to Wall Carpet
Bedroom 4:	2	15×13	Wall to Wall Carpet
Bedroom 5:	1	15×12	Wall to Wall Carpet
Bath 1:	1		Half Bath, Ceramic Tile Floor
Bath 2:	2		Full Bath, Ceramic Tile Floor, Hot Tub/Spa
Bath 3:	2		Full Bath, Ceramic Tile Floor
Laundry:	1		Ceramic Tile Floor
Sun Room:	1	16×13	Skylight, Cathedral Ceils, Ceramic Tile Floor
Foyer:	1	15×9	Cathedral Ceils, Ceramic Tile Floor
Other:		27×17	Cathedral Ceils, Wall to Wall Carpet

Features Appliances: Dishwasher, Disposal, Microwave, Refrigerator, Washer, Dryer Area Amenities: Shopping, Golf Course Basement: Yes   Full, Walk Out, Interior Access, Garage Access, Concrete Floor Beach: No Construction: Frame, Brick Electric: Circuit Breakers Exterior: Wood, Brick Exterior Features: Deck, Gutters, Prof. Landscape, Sprinkler System Flooring: Wood, Tile, Wall to Wall Carpet, Marble Foundation Size: 00 Foundation Description: Poured Concrete Hot Water: Natural Gas, Tank Insulation: Full Interior Features: Central Vacuum, Security System, Cable Available Lot Description: Wooded, Paved Drive Road Type: Public, Paved, Publicly Maint. Roof Material: Asphalt/Fiberglass Shingles Sewer and Water: City/Town Water, City/Town Sewer Utility Connections: for Gas Range, for Electric Oven, for Electric Dryer, Washer Hookup Waterfront: No

Other Property Info Adult Community: No Disclosure Declaration: Yes Disclosures:  Exclusions: DR Chandelier Home Own Assn:  Lead Paint: None UFFI: Unknown  Warranty Available: No Year Built: 1990  Source: Owner Year Built Description: Actual Year Round:  Tax Information Pin #: M:0075 B:0028 L:0037 Assessed: $540,600 Tax: $8790.15  Tax Year: 2009 Book: 7675  Page: 299 Cert:  Zoning Code: RA Map:    Block:    Lot:

This is a fantastic home! Come check it out!

Rental Business Heating Up In Late Summer!

Its that time of year in the valley. Students are planning the great return to the many colleges in the area in about a month. Many are in search of apartments to rent that are close to the action, close to their school and reasonably priced. 

My current focus as a licensed Realtor has primarily centered on the sale of homes. However I am itching to corner a niche market that is screaming for professional organization. My enlightening, albeit brief time spent as a rental agent in the Boston area has given me a lot of insight on the rental side of the business. I see a very real need for “Rental Specialist” real estate professionals here in Western Massachusetts.

Many landlords complain that they cannot find qualified tenants who will pay their rent and pay it on time.  The truth is that many landlords do not have the tools needed to determine whether a potential tenant is financially qualified. That’s where the resources of a real estate company, with the ability to do thorough background checks on potential tenants, is often a worthwhile investment for landlords.

Real Estate agents have a thorough and extensive application and background checking system. We check with former landlords, employment history as well as run complete credit histories on all applicants. As a real estate office, we also find qualified, serious applicants. No more wasted time weeding out credit risks or non-serious applicants!

We have access to listing services that most landlords do not, even services that real estate agents use when finding apartments for their rental clients. Which means we can market an apartment to a wider audience than a landlord can get on their own.

In Boston, like most cities, landlords use rental agencies to find tenants for their properties. I think the shear volume of potential tenants lends itself to a more professional approach to the process. Its also a numbers game. There are tens of thousands of apartments in the Boston area.  Therefore an agent can conceivably make a living renting $1400 per month apartments all year round and thus we have the incentive for agents to focus on rentals over sales.

Here in Western Massachusetts, we have a smaller pool of potential tenants and a smaller pool of properties for rent. Therefore there is less of an incentive for agents to get involved in the process. Yet I still believe tenants and landlords deserve the option of a professional to guide and assist them during the stressful process!

I have begun to market myself to the rental community. I have the knowledge, experience and desire to match tenants with the apartment they want and landlords with the right tenants. So if you or anyone you know is looking for an apartment in Western Massachusetts or if you have a property you’d like to rent out, please don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss how I can help make the process less stressful and more fruitful! I work seven days a week and have the resources of The Denise DeSellier Team and William Raveis Real Estate to utilize on your behalf!

Enjoy the Summer weather this week! Fall is just around the corner!

Best Wishes,

Jason Burkins
Realtor – Sales and Rental Specialist