May 2009 Archives

531 New Foreclosures Filed in Massachusetts in Week Ending May 29, 2009

By Jeremy Shapiro on May 29, 2009 8:18 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Jeremy Shapiro 531 new foreclosures were filed in Massachusetts over this past week, ending Friday, May 29, 2009, 40 more new foreclosed properties than last week with 491 new foreclosure filings.

Broken down by county, Barnstable County had 33 foreclosures, Berkshire County had 3 foreclosures, Bristol County had 47 foreclosures, Dukes County had 4 foreclosures, Essex County had 66 foreclosures, Franklin County had 3 foreclosures, Hampden County had 42 foreclosures, Hampshire County had 6 foreclosures, Middlesex County had 84 foreclosures, Nantucket County had 1 foreclosures, Norfolk County had 50 foreclosures, Plymouth County had 48 foreclosures, Suffolk County had 52 foreclosures, and Worcester County had 92 foreclosures.

The biggest movers from last week to this week were Franklin County (50% increase, 2 -> 3), Norfolk County (35% increase, 37 -> 50), and Plymouth County (30% increase, 37 -> 48).
Continue reading 531 New Foreclosures Filed in Massachusetts in Week Ending May 29, 2009.

Plumbers, Electricians, and Roofers: Find the Studs and Avoid the Duds

By Michael Farmer on May 27, 2009 6:57 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Michael Farmer Finding good tradespeople - including plumbers, electricians, dry wallers, roofers, HVAC and other "trades" experts - to help keep your rental properties shipshape is akin to a crapshoot.

If you're new to the property management game and haven't dealt with tradespeople, it's easy for the bad ones to talk you into services you don't need, to overcharge for labor, and to pass off shoddy workmanship as quality without you ever knowing - especially if you're not at the property on a regular basis overseeing their work.

It's only months later that you find out, after your tenant has moved out, that the bathroom pipe is leaking again, only now you have water damage to the sub-floor because it wasn't fixed properly in the first place.
Continue reading Plumbers, Electricians, and Roofers: Find the Studs and Avoid the Duds.

491 New Foreclosures Filed in Massachusetts in Week Ending May 22, 2009

By Jeremy Shapiro on May 22, 2009 8:17 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Jeremy Shapiro 491 new foreclosures were filed in Massachusetts over this past week, ending Friday, May 22, 2009, 63 less new foreclosed properties than last week with 554 new foreclosure filings.

Broken down by county, Barnstable County had 31 foreclosures, Berkshire County had 5 foreclosures, Bristol County had 53 foreclosures, Dukes County had 4 foreclosures, Essex County had 67 foreclosures, Franklin County had 2 foreclosures, Hampden County had 45 foreclosures, Hampshire County had 6 foreclosures, Middlesex County had 89 foreclosures, Nantucket County had 2 foreclosures, Norfolk County had 37 foreclosures, Plymouth County had 37 foreclosures, Suffolk County had 42 foreclosures, and Worcester County had 71 foreclosures.

The biggest movers from last week to this week were Dukes County (100% increase, 2 -> 4), Nantucket County (100% increase, 1 -> 2), and Bristol County (20% increase, 44 -> 53).
Continue reading 491 New Foreclosures Filed in Massachusetts in Week Ending May 22, 2009.

Accountability Made Easy: Put a Contract Out on Yourself

By Jeremy Shapiro on May 21, 2009 7:40 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Jeremy Shapiro "It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." - Moliere

Did you ever notice how easy it is to break a promise or a commitment when you only make it to yourself? You know, like getting to the gym in the morning when you didn't get enough sleep, not eating that second dessert after a long day, or not picking up the phone to raise money because you just don't feel like it?

Strangely, though, once we are made accountable, to a spouse, to a family, to a friend - or even a stranger - we're far more likely to follow through on our commitments.

Today, at one of my Mastermind meetings, a fellow business owner shared a great resource with me that I wanted to pass onto you.
Continue reading Accountability Made Easy: Put a Contract Out on Yourself.

Get Rid of Bad Tenants; Find and Keep the Good Ones

By Brendan O'Brien on May 20, 2009 7:40 AM | 2 Comments | No TrackBacks
Brendan O'Brien When you're a landlord, most of your time is spent dealing with maintenance and tenant issues. If you're lucky (and you've done your homework), your tenants don't cause too many problems - and the problems that do crop up are minor.

However, despite your best intentions, the person who looked like a great tenant on paper can become the tenant from hell.

Bad tenants cause real headaches, for a number of reasons:
  • Evicting and replacing them is aggravating, costly, and time consuming
  • Their disruptive and noisy behaviors can drive out your good tenants
  • They can cost you big money if they damage your property

Before I give you my hard-earned advice about how to find and keep good tenants, let me first describe the four types of bad tenants.
Continue reading Get Rid of Bad Tenants; Find and Keep the Good Ones.

554 New Foreclosures Filed in Massachusetts in Week Ending May 15, 2009

By Jeremy Shapiro on May 15, 2009 8:47 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Jeremy Shapiro 554 new foreclosures were filed in Massachusetts over this past week, ending Friday, May 15, 2009, 158 more new foreclosed properties than last week with 396 new foreclosure filings.

Broken down by county, Barnstable County had 32 foreclosures, Berkshire County had 5 foreclosures, Bristol County had 44 foreclosures, Dukes County had 2 foreclosures, Essex County had 73 foreclosures, Franklin County had 4 foreclosures, Hampden County had 39 foreclosures, Hampshire County had 6 foreclosures, Middlesex County had 100 foreclosures, Nantucket County had 1 foreclosures, Norfolk County had 46 foreclosures, Plymouth County had 73 foreclosures, Suffolk County had 63 foreclosures, and Worcester County had 66 foreclosures.

The biggest movers from last week to this week were Hampshire County (500% increase, 1 -> 6), Plymouth County (74% increase, 42 -> 73), and Barnstable County (68% increase, 19 -> 32).
Continue reading 554 New Foreclosures Filed in Massachusetts in Week Ending May 15, 2009.

Persistence and Why We Keep Getting Up - Even When Knocked Down

By Jeremy Shapiro on May 14, 2009 7:11 AM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks
Jeremy Shapiro "The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come." ~ James Whitcomb Riley

This quote rang true to me Wednesday morning when trying out something I'd never done before - slacklining.

As I fell again and again - and again - from the slackline outside behind my rock climbing gym, I noticed that I kept laughing, smiling and getting right back on again. Even though the tight, static webbing beneath my feet went even tauter as I weighted it, and even though a misstep in balance was punished by the unforgiving force of the line rocketing me to one side, I kept getting back on.

It's like how in real estate investing you make an offer, and it might get rejected. You might make 10 offers and have them all get rejected. You might make an offer, get it accepted, and then watch the deal fall apart.

But should that stop you?
Continue reading Persistence and Why We Keep Getting Up - Even When Knocked Down.

Massachusetts Foreclosure Data: Where Can I Find It?

By Jeremy Shapiro on May 13, 2009 7:13 AM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks
Jeremy Shapiro At a recent Turning the Key meeting, Sheila was approached not once, or twice, but four times by four different people asking where they could find quality pre-foreclosure leads.

I, too, found myself chatting on Facebook with someone the other day who was familiar with our events, and ForeclosuresMass as a company, but was also asked where they could find foreclosure data.

Both Sheila and I were shocked that ForeclosuresMass.com, the company we started in 2003 to help investors find out about foreclosures before they start, had grown so much to the point that investors knew about our events, but had no idea that at our core, we were the company behind the most accurate and up to date foreclosure data in Massachusetts, routinely cited and interviewed by the Boston Business Journal, Boston Globe, Worcester Business Journal, New England Cable News, WBIX, National Public Radio, PBS, and more.
Continue reading Massachusetts Foreclosure Data: Where Can I Find It?.

396 New Foreclosures Filed in Massachusetts in Week Ending May 8, 2009

By Jeremy Shapiro on May 8, 2009 8:17 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Jeremy Shapiro 396 new foreclosures were filed in Massachusetts over this past week, ending Friday, May 8, 2009, 194 less new foreclosed properties than last week with 590 new foreclosure filings.

Broken down by county, Barnstable County had 19 foreclosures, Berkshire County had 5 foreclosures, Bristol County had 38 foreclosures, Dukes County had 4 foreclosures, Essex County had 52 foreclosures, Hampden County had 27 foreclosures, Hampshire County had 1 foreclosures, Middlesex County had 71 foreclosures, Nantucket County had 2 foreclosures, Norfolk County had 31 foreclosures, Plymouth County had 42 foreclosures, Suffolk County had 45 foreclosures, and Worcester County had 59 foreclosures.

The biggest movers from last week to this week were Nantucket County (100% increase, 1 -> 2), Dukes County (33% increase, 3 -> 4), and Bristol County (14% decrease, 44 -> 38).
Continue reading 396 New Foreclosures Filed in Massachusetts in Week Ending May 8, 2009.

WBIX AM 1060 Real Deal on Real Estate Broadcasting LIVE at Turning the Key

By Jeremy Shapiro on May 6, 2009 12:27 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Jeremy Shapiro We just got word that WBIX AM 1060's Real Deal on Real Estate will be broadcasting LIVE at Turning the Key on Thursday night!

Both show hosts, Fran Yerardi and Mark Rosenthal, will be at Turning the Key from 5:30-6:30 interviewing ForeclosuresMass members and talking with our speaker for Thursday night's Turning the Key meeting, local attorney Burton Kliman.

Are you a real estate investor, agent, buyer or professional? Want to get on the air? Find out more when you show up early for Turning the Key at 5:30 when the radio show starts.
Continue reading WBIX AM 1060 Real Deal on Real Estate Broadcasting LIVE at Turning the Key.

590 New Foreclosures Filed in Massachusetts in Week Ending May 1, 2009

By Jeremy Shapiro on May 1, 2009 8:18 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Jeremy Shapiro 590 new foreclosures were filed in Massachusetts over this past week, ending Friday, May 1, 2009, 106 more new foreclosed properties than last week with 484 new foreclosure filings.

Broken down by county, Barnstable County had 34 foreclosures, Berkshire County had 6 foreclosures, Bristol County had 44 foreclosures, Dukes County had 3 foreclosures, Essex County had 91 foreclosures, Franklin County had 4 foreclosures, Hampden County had 38 foreclosures, Hampshire County had 10 foreclosures, Middlesex County had 105 foreclosures, Nantucket County had 1 foreclosures, Norfolk County had 38 foreclosures, Plymouth County had 69 foreclosures, Suffolk County had 55 foreclosures, and Worcester County had 92 foreclosures.

The biggest movers from last week to this week were Hampshire County (100% increase, 5 -> 10), Plymouth County (53% increase, 45 -> 69), and Dukes County (50% increase, 2 -> 3).
Continue reading 590 New Foreclosures Filed in Massachusetts in Week Ending May 1, 2009.
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