We had our 4th(!) Anniversary party last Thursday at the office. A fun time. Photos of us and our lovely guests here.

Nancy comes to ePlace with a strong background in real estate, teaching, horticulture, and with a passion for music and the arts. Hard work, creative problem solving and a straightforward approach serve her clients well. Nancy’s careers and interests have always been community based. With degrees from Oberlin College and Lesley University, she has taught special education in Weston, Lexington and most recently in Cambridge. She also worked for 10 years at one of New England’s finest nurseries.

Nancy has broad knowledge of both suburban and urban markets. She worked as a real estate agent for the past 8 years in Wellesley and lived in Weston for nearly 30 years. Having recently bought a condo in Cambridge, Nancy’s expertise in researching condo associations is helpful to anyone moving into the city, and particularly to other “empty nesters” who are considering making that transition. Her familiarity with many schools is very helpful to her clients researching schools for their children.

An avid violinist, Nancy plays chamber music and is a member of several community orchestras. Her love of art has led her to volunteer at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts where she has been a docent since 2007.

This updated spreadsheet shows median prices and units sold for condos, single families, and 2-family homes in Cambridge and 32 other communities in 2011, and prices relative to 2005 (the peak) and 2010. This is useful of you’re looking for a home and want to know the median prices in the area, and can also be interesting for investors as a look at where prices have gone in recent years relative to peak and to the recent past. The data source here is MLSPIN (properties listed in the MLS database). Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need help with a sale, a purchase, or a rental.

So far this year, 40% of Massachusetts sales have been cash, from parents buying “kiddie condos” for their children coming to school in Boston, or investors picking up foreclosed home at auction. Three communities (Cambridge, Provincetown, and New Bedford) has cash-only sales exceeding 50%. The average percentage of cash-only sales in Massachusetts in the last ten years in closer to 10%.

ePlace Summer Party

Click here to see photos from the ePlace Summer Party. As always, a fun party with terrific live music, food, and an assortment of Petsi’s Pies . . .

Home Sweet Home 2011

CHAF (Cambridge Housing Assistance Fund) will be hosting its 4th annual benefit on October 22nd at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge. Please join member of the ePlace team for a good cause.

The Cambridge Housing Assistance Fund is operated by the Cambridge Community of Real Estate Professionals in a public/private partnership with the Cambridge banking community, HomeStart and the Cambridge Multi-Service Center for the Homeless. CHAF provides a bridge to housing for homeless and near homeless families and individuals by assisting with the initial costs of renting an apartment and providing one time assistance grants to families at risk of becoming homeless. Since its inception in 1999, CHAF has raised more than $1,600,000 – enough to open doors for more than 1,500 households.

ePlace will be offering a new Rent vs. Buy workshop on June 1st from 6:00 – 8:00 at our office. More info here.