Favorite Restaurants

As I have written on my website at South Shore MA Living, the south shore region has a lot to offer to residents and visitors alike, including great food and a wide variety of restaurant choices. In this, the first week of spring (mmm, it feels more like summer), I was drawn like a magnet to my favorite breakfast spot – actually, it was to one of my three favorite breakfast restaurants:

BR’s Pizza,Subs & More, 550 Monponsett Street in Halifax, which in spite of it’s name, serves breakfast and lunch too. Located on the shore of West Monponsett Pond in Halifax, BR’s is my #1 go-to choice for breakfast during the summer months. The indoor dining area of BR’s has approximately 15-20 tables – I’m not sure what the precise number is since I have never dined in the indoors dining area. Instead, when I go to BR’s, I always make a direct beeline for the outdoor patio area overlooking the pond. The vibe of the patio is so relaxing, the food is very tasty and frankly, I could drink their coffee all day – so good!

Persy’s Place, 117 Main Street on Route 3A in Kingston and also at 35A Main Street in Plymouth (as well as in 5 other towns on the Cape and in southeastern Massachusetts) has an extensive breakfast and lunch menu. Many items on Persy’s breakfast menu are homemade, including a variety of fresh baked breads and corn bread, breakfast quiches and crepes, homemade hash and Boston baked beans, as well as the best coffee served anywhere in town and/or in the local area for that matter. In fact, the reputation of Persy’s Place is so positive that you should be prepared to encounter a waiting line when you visit.

The Hearth and Kettle, located in the John Carver Inn at 25 Summer Street in Plymouth (as well as in 5 other locations scattered in southeastern Massachusetts and on the Cape) is my favorite breakfast spot during the chilly fall and winter months because breakfast is served in a dining area, in view of the fire burning in the restaurant’s signature brick hearth. In addition to the ambiance of the room, the H & K menu features specials, homemade entrees and organic food offerings. Breakfast is served all day, along with lunch and dinner.

In addition to my 3 favorite breakfast restaurants above, I have a few favorite specialty restaurants also:

Sam Diego’s at 51 Main Street in Plymouth serves Mexican food which is a favorite of mine. I love their food, but besides that, the building for the restaurant is an attraction unto itself as it was once a fire station that has been converted. Upon entering the restaurant, you notice the staircase in the center which leads to the top floor. You can almost visualize where the fire pole had once been. Kingston has two other Mexican restaurants, both of which are relatively new arrivals to town – Cancun and La Paloma Mexican Restaurant. However, Sam Diego’s is the most established and, in my opinion, still the best.

DiNatale’s Seafood, located at 315 Court Street in North Plymouth, is both a seafood market and a seafood restaurant. When you order from the menu, there is no doubt that you are getting the freshest seafood. In my opinion, the fried scallops at DiNatale’s are the best, and, in my opinion, they are so good that I will no longer order scallops at any other restaurant.

Sawtelle’s Pizza at 78 Summer Street in Kingston (next to the Post Office) serves up delicious thin crust pizzas, artisan pizzas, calzones, subs and sandwiches, salads, dinner entrees and even desserts. Try it, you’ll like it!

So, for those of you who are foodies like me, there you have it – my picks of favorite area restaurants. By the way, I’m still looking for a really good Chinese restaurant in any of the communities throughout the south shore region, so if anyone has any recommendation(s), please feel free to share.

As always, thank you for visiting.

Until the next time,

Jackie Farrell, Realtor®

BuyerBrokersRealty

February Housing Market Health Check

Kingston

Plymouth

Carver

Duxbury

Halifax

Hanover

Marshfield

Norwell

Pembroke

Scituate

Choosing Financing for your Home Purchase

MassHousing is the leading source of low-cost financing in Massachusetts for qualified homebuyers. There is a lot to like about MassHousing mortgage loans for buyers.

Below are 7 reasons why a homebuyer might want to look into MassHousing as a potential financing option:

1. Financing is not limited to first-time homebuyers only. MassHousing loans are also available to repeat buyers looking to move up or to refinance via a limited cash-out refinance option.
2. Borrowers can put down as little a 3% on a single family home or condo, as opposed to FHA which requires 3½% down, and just 5% down on 2-, 3- and 4-family homes.
3. Introduced in January 2012, MassHousing now offers a 30-year fixed rate loan with no Mortgage Insurance at a very competitive rate under the same financing terms (97% or 95% as applicable).
4. Sellers are allowed to pay for the buyers’ closing costs, up to 3% of the sales price.
5. MassHousing has a Purchase & Rehab loan option available for first-time homebuyers who are purchasing a fixer-upper property. Covers both the purchase price of the home and expenses associated with rehabilitating the property.
6. MassHousing offers an affordable, no down payment mortgage for veterans through their Home for the Brave loan program.
7. As an alternative to the new No Mortgage Insurance loan, MassHousing has a mortgage insurance loan with MI Plus, which features the following benefits and advantages:

• a lower monthly premium than FHA mortgage insurance and that of most conventional loan programs;
• no upfront mortgage premium required, as with FHA;
• MI Plus includes job loss protection at no additional cost which covers the borrower’s principal and interest payments for six months (up to a $2000/month) in the event the borrower becomes unemployed. May be used for any 6 month period during the first 10 years of the loan.

There are certain basic ground rules that borrowers/buyers must meet in order to qualify for a MassHousing loan:

• buyers must have good credit.
• buyers must meet the income and loan limits which vary by city/town. On the south shore, in the communities of Plymouth County, the maximum income limit is $123,660 and the max loan limit for a single family home or condo is $417,000, $533,850 for a 2-family, $645,300 for a 3-family and $801,950 for a 4-family property.
• buyers must owner-occupy the home being financed through MassHousing.
• all MassHousing borrowers may only own one home at the time of the closing.

For a list of participating lenders and for a more comprehensive explanation of the different loan programs – and even to apply online, you can visit MassHousing online. Experts agree and promote the importance of financing as being essentially the first step to buying a home; that said, you may also be interested in reviewing The Home Buying Process in a Flow Chart as well as checking out the 5 Tips to Prepare for Buying a Home.

MassHousing has a number of mortgage loan programs from which to choose. It is but one source for financing, but it is an option worthy of a homebuyer’s consideration.

As always, I thank you for visiting and I encourage you to share your comments to this post and feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about real estate in Kingston, Plymouth or another town on the south shore of Massachusetts.

Until the next time,

Jackie Farrell, Realtor®

BuyerBrokersRealty

The Declaration is filed at the Registry of Deeds

On March 16, 2011, a series of amendments to the Massachusetts Homestead Act (MGL Chapter 188, sections 1-10) took effect in the Commonwealth. Under the provisions of this new homestead law, the changes expand protections to homeowners.

Upon filing a legal document/form called a ‘Declaration of Estate of Homestead’ (often expressed simply as a Homestead Declaration) at the Registry of Deeds in the county where the property is located, the principal residence of the homeowner (owner-occupied residence) is protected against attachments, liens and bankruptcy by creditors up to $500,000 of equity per residence, per family. However, debts relating to the purchase of the home (purchase money mortgages), child and/or spousal support obligations and also tax obligations are not covered. Those provisions remain the same under the new law so homeowners do not need to re-file a homestead due to the new statutory changes. There is an exception worth noting regarding re-filing a declaration; in the event the homeowner refinanced the home in recent years, he/she should consider recording a new declaration since many refinancing mortgages contain a waiver of homestead rights. Re-filing a homestead declaration will assure the homeowner is protected.

The new homestead protection law introduces a couple of significant changes:

• It creates an automatic protection up to $125,000, without requiring any filing, on homes that do not already have a homestead declaration on file at the registry. This automatic coverage serves as a sort of safety net providing protection to homeowners who perhaps may not have heard of the Homestead Act. In addition, this coverage will safeguard deposits and will offer protection in situations where a declaration may not have been filed correctly. Of course, to acquire the maximum protection of $500,000, homeowners should file a homestead declaration at the registry.

• Homeowners may now sell their primary residence, yet retain the homestead protection on the proceeds of the sale for up to one year from the time of the sale or until a new principal residence is purchased, whichever comes first. According to the MAR Report, “this new consumer-friendly provision may allow a homeowner who, for example, needs to sell the home to relocate for a new job or downsize their current home to a smaller home or condo. In some cases, this may provide an opportunity for a homeowner with debt-related issues to still purchase another home”.

There are other changes in the new law also worth noting:

• Property held in trust are now eligible for homestead protections.

• An elderly couple (individuals over the age of 62) and the disabled (no age limitation) may now file a homestead on behalf of each individual and allows for an increased aggregate protection of up to $1 million.

• Mobile and manufactured homes may now be homesteaded and the declaration of homestead is to be filed at the local registry and not the town offices.

• A new declaration of homestead does not need to be filed after refinancing as the lender is now prohibited from requiring a waiver or release of the existing homestead.

• When purchasing a new primary residence, the closing attorney must provide notice to the purchaser of the right to declare a homestead protection. And the purchaser will be asked to acknowledge receipt of the notice in writing.

For more information on the Homestead Protection Law, you may wish to read the informational brochure for homeowners provided by the Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A reminder that with all legal matters and specifically in regard to the Homestead Act, homeowners should consult their personal attorney with any questions or concerns about the law and how it may or may not impact them.

If you are considering acquiring a ‘homestead’, please visit my website BuyerBrokerRealty to search available homes by category – by town, by style, by proximity to water and more.

Thanks again for visiting and please feel free to comment on this post with reactions to share or with questions.

Until the next time,

Jackie Farrell, Realtor®

BuyerBrokersRealty

A Community for Active Adults 55+

On the South Shore of Massachusetts, a trend towards 55+ active adult communities has emerged, is growing and gaining in popularity. Arbor Hills in Kingston MA is but one of several age-restricted communities to emerge and flourish in recent years throughout the region.

The construction of the Arbor Hills development began in 2003 and the complex was completed in 2005. In all, there are 54 free standing, mostly Cape-style homes with just a few single level Ranch homes mixed in. While these detached homes resemble traditional single family houses, Arbor Hills is in fact a condominium complex. Therefore, the purchase of a home in Arbor Hills will not include the land on which the home sits and residents are charged a monthly fee to cover the cost of common expenses, i.e., sewer, real estate taxes, a master insurance policy, exterior maintenance of the buildings, trash and snow removal, landscaping and road maintenance.

Arbor Hills is a well-maintained complex located approximately 4 miles from Kingston center off Route 106. Each home has an attached two-car garage, a basement – some finished; most of the homes have 2 bedrooms with some also having a second floor loft, and at least 2 full baths. Popular features/amenities offered in these homes include hardwood floors, tile, granite, stainless steel appliances, etc. The price of homes in Arbor Hills range from $350K to the upper $400Ks.

The bottom line, condo living is not for everyone – diminished privacy is one drawback. However, on the plus side, there is no yard work (mowing the lawn and raking leaves) or the need to shovel snow in the winter.  So, if your interest has been piqued and you want to peek at what’s available, you may browse the listings of current homes for sale at Arbor Hills.

Or perhaps you would be interested in browsing more homes for sale in other 55+ active adult communities elsewhere on the South Shore:

The Residences at Duxbury Estates in Duxbury MA.

The Elms of Hanover in Hanover MA.

Great Island, Tara Woods & others in Plymouth MA.

Meeting House Estates in Scituate MA.

Overlook Farm, The Maples & others in Marshfield MA

Or, for another alternative, you may browse listings in Middleboro MA, at the mobile home community for adults aged 55+.

Let me know if you would like to arrange a tour of these properties. I am here to help you select the home that’s right for you.

Thanks again for visiting and please feel free to comment on this post with reactions to share or with questions.  And should you have any questions about real estate in Kingston, Plymouth or another town on the south shore , please contact me or call 781-588-0961.

Until the next time,

Jackie Farrell, Realtor®

BuyerBrokersRealty