Metrowest Hospital Satisfaction Poll Results

The Metrowest Daily News had a fascinating article today, reporting the results of a nine month study called the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems. The survey was given to patients who had overnight hospital stays in the time period from October '06 to June of '07.

At the top of the list, in terms of patient satisfaction was Newton-Wellesley Hospital, in Newton, with a solid 82% of all patents saying they would definitely recommend the hospital. At a close second, with 81%, was Emerson Hospital, in Concord. Third, with 76% was Milford Regional Medical Center. Fourth, with 71% was UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Fifth, with 65% was Marlborough Hospital. And rounding out the pack, with 61% was MetroWest Medical Center.

What's not shocking to me, given my very high regard for all the people involved in health services in the region, is that with the average for all hospitals in Massachusetts being 70% of all patients saying they would definitely recommend the hospital, and with the National average being close, at 67%, the strong majority of the hospitals serving the metrowest community had patient satisfaction above both these great results.

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What Does "As Is" Mean in Real Estate?

The real estate industry has its own unique language that can sometimes be confusing. One term that comes up a lot, especially in these times of bank-owned properties, short sales, and foreclosures, is "as is" and its variations "where is", and "in its present condition". There are some agents who feel that part of the reason we see "as is" cropping up more and more is because more buyers are being coached to use the home inspection as a reason to reopen negotiations (sometimes justified, sometimes not) and that sellers and their agents, who may have already lowered the price several times, are using it as a tactic to close the door on this practice.

This is not a term to be used lightly by sellers, because there are costs as well as benefits, and if you don’t know what it really means, you shouldn’t use it. Sellers commonly mistake "as is" as a way to avoid making any repairs, rationalizing that a lower asking price will reflect the condition and eliminate expectations. Buyers, however, tend to interpret "as is" differently. They sometimes take it as a sign of blood in the water and think that they can bargain way down from the asking price because they are now suspicious that many things are wrong with the house. Often buyers will be very wary of "as is" houses and even avoid viewing them or putting in an offer for fear of hidden defects that will reqire a lot of time or money. You might be better off without using that clause and having your agent stress that the inspection will probably not result in repairs or a price reduction.

"As is" is actually a legal term and concept used to disclaim liability for the condition of the house being sold. It says that the seller is selling, and the buyer is buying the house in whatever condition it presently exists, and that the buyer is accepting the house "with all faults", whether or not immediately apparent. It is most commonly (and correctly) used in estate situations or when banks or relocation companies own the property, where the sellers may have never lived in the house and have no knowledge of any issues/defects. In Massachusetts, the seller and their agent must disclose any known defects in the property in an "as is" purchase, but they don’t have to disclose what they don’t know.

This is the ultimate "buyer beware" situation, where a buyer must take the time to examine the home before accepting it. The buyer should also obtain expert inspection and legal advice and do what their experts recommend. They should also make sure their contract is contingent upon acceptable inspection approved by buyer, but understand that their only option is to take the house or walk-away, the seller is under no obligation to re-negotiate any inspection issues.

There are currently many great deals on "as is" houses, and I hope this post has been helpful.

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What I Like About Sudbury, Massachusetts

Sudbury, Massachusetts is a progressive town where history coexists peacefully with modern lifestyles. Located just shy of 20 miles from downtown Boston, the town of 18,000+ residents is conveniently found halfway between the inner (Rt. 128) and outer (Rt. 495) beltways.Typical commutes for the townsfolk are 30 minutes.

As it was incorporated as a Town in 1639, you can imagine there’s a lot of early American history in Sudbury. One of my favorite sources for the history of the town of Sudbury is hosted and written by the members of the Senior Center, have a look, you’ll find it interesting and informative.

For anyone who craves data and facts and figures, there’s a great wiki here. Knock yourself out.

Here’s some of the stuff you might want to know:

Shopping: You are 15 minutes to the shopping Mecca’s of Metrowest in Natick and Framingham. For really upscale you can go to Chestnut Hill in Brookline or Newbury Street in Boston in about half an hour.
Schools: 4 Elementary and 1 Middle – all outstanding. High School is regional, shared with the Town of Lincoln – also outstanding.

Restaurants & Markets: There are a number of fine restaurants in the town, a Starbucks, and a Dunkin Donuts. There’s also the original Sudbury Farms supermarket with a killer take-out/deli. Down the road a piece there’s a Whole Foods supermarket.

Taxes: Not cheap, but a good value.

Transportation: You pretty much have to drive everywhere. There’s a commuter rail in Lincoln/Weston that takes you to North Station. There’s one in Framingham that takes you to South Station.

Religious Institutions: Currently there are Baptist, Catholic (2), Congregational, Episcopal, Church of New Jerusalem, Jewish (2), Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Unitarian, and Non-denominational parishes in town.

Hospitals: There are three excellent hospitals nearby: Emerson Hospital in Concord, Metrowest Medical Center in Framingham, and Marlborough Hospital in Marlborough. Obviously, some of the finest hospitals in the country are minutes away in Boston.

Government: Town form of government with three Selectmen and a professional Town Manager. One of the oldest continuously running Town Meetings in the US – if you’ve never sat through one you really should, it’s in March, and it’s really a tribute to the staying power of our democratic principles.

Overall Rating: It’s a really nice town and I’d like to live there.

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Haunted Real Estate

Are you looking for or selling a house with a little extra atmosphere? Would you like the feeling of having a permanent unseen houseguest? Some people, perhaps someone like you, actually want to buy a house that is haunted.

So how do you go about trying to find a haunted house for sale, or sell your own house that has a resident ghost? When househunting, how do you find a house that comes with a ghost, and if you're selling a haunted home do you have to openly divulge that information to everyone?

Hauntings fall into a shadowy area of disclosure, in part because there's typically little or no solid proof that the ghost exist, and only "facts" have to be disclosed. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a "don't ask/don't tell" state regarding hauntings in houses for sale. You have to specifically ask the agent/seller if there is paranormal activity in the house, and they have to tell you what they know. But if you don't ask, they don't have to offer it up front.

The law in MA, Chapter 294 of the Acts of 1998, An act further regulating the disclosure of certain information in real estate transactions states: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 93 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section: - Section 108. The fact or suspicion that real property may be or is psychologically impacted shall not be deemed to be a material fact required to be disclosed in a real estate transaction, except as provided in this section. "Psychologically impacted" shall mean an impact being the result of facts or suspicions including, but not limited to, the following: (a) that an occupant of real property is now or has been suspected to be infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus or with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or any other disease which reasonable medical evidence suggests to be highly unlikely to be transmitted through the occupying of a dwelling; (b) that the real property was the site of a felony, suicide or homicide; and (c) that the real property has been the site of an alleged parapsychological or supernatural phenomenon.
No cause of action shall arise or be maintained against a seller or lessor of real property or a real estate broker or salesman, by statute or at common law, for failure to disclose to a buyer or tenant that the real property is or was psychologically impacted.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this section shall not authorize a seller, lessor or real estate broker or salesman to make any misrepresentation of fact or false statement.

Although it took place in the State of New York, it's worth looking at the most famous court case on the subject - Stambovsky v. Ackley (572 N.Y.S.2d 672 NY App. Div. 1991), regarding the sale of a magnificent Victorian mansion at 1 Laveta Place in Nyack, NY . The sale was contested after the Stambovsky family made an earnest payment of $32,500 on the $650,000 home. Even though the house was clearly spooky at first sight, the couple was from out of town and did not know about its reputation. For a long time, the sellers had promoted the home as haunted, had a write up in Reader's Digest, and had featured it on a haunted walking tour of the city. When the sellers chose to sell the house they stopped promoting it as haunted.

Once the couple learned of the house's reputation, they tried to back out of the deal and get their deposit money back. The owner refused to cancel the sale or return the down payment, so the Stambovsky's took the seller to court and lost, only to win with a narrow margin of 3-2 in appellate court, after the court found that by deliberately fostering the belief that the house was haunted, the seller had to, by law, disclose that the house was the psychological impacted.

Some great links for more information on haunted real estate:

http://www.sdparanormal.com/Haunted_House_Listings.html

http://www.realtown.com/articles/haunted-real-estate-a-primer-for-real-estate-agents

http://www.hauntedrealestate.com/

http://www.ghostsandstories.com/haunted-real-estate.html

http://www.hauntspot.com/haunt/articles-and-news/haunted-real-estate.shtml

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/421456/selling_a_haunted_house_a_satiric_real.html
Articles on Real Estate's Scary Side:

http://money.cnn.com/2003/10/21/pf/yourhome/househaunting/

http://realestate.msn.com/buying/Article_bankrate.aspx?cp-documentid=1102007&GT1=10534

Ghostly Appraisals: http://www.realestatedamages.com/index.htm

Ghost Removal Solutions and Housecleaning: http://www.moonslipper.com/

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Why You Should Have a Buyer's Agent

The listing agent shows you the house - you love it and they can write up the offer for you! That listing agent loves you. And the agent's realty company loves you even more! Normally a commission gets split 4 ways. When you work directly with the seller's agent, they and their broker (company) get to keep the whole commission. Congratulations to the seller's agent!

The home seller is their only client. You are not their client and they have no responsibility legally to act in your interest. Client means that the agent has a fiduciary duty to that person, just like attorneys or doctors do with their clients & patients. That includes privileged information about your level of desire, need and ability to buy that home. If the seller is highly motivated, you're not going to know that you could've offered 10% below market instead of 5%. If the seller's agent is good, they are going to be sure that you think you're getting a "wicked good deal" when you're really paying top dollar. They also are going to make sure that their seller has every opportunity to keep your earnest money deposit if you mess up even a little bit. And they'll make sure any contingencies benefit their client, not the poor unrepresented guy on the other side of the deal (which is you).
And where are you getting your analysis of market comparables? Hopefully it wasn't from the seller's agent. Comps, like any statistical analysis, can be easily manipulated to favor a top dollar or a low ball offer, depending on which homes the agent chooses to include or exclude from the mix.

When you put in an offer on a house with the listing agent, you have basically tipped your hand and all your information will be shared with the seller. But the realtor seems nice, and why would this be so bad, you ask? Let's say you've shown the realtor your mortgage approval letter - for an amount equal to or above the asking price. Well, there goes all your negotiation edge.

A buyer agent (ABR) is the only person in your house search and offer process looking out only for YOU. They are your advocate in a major and life-affecting purchase. Using a Buyer Agent costs you no money, and may even help you save money in the initial negotiation and using inspection issues to re-negotiate.

Would you want to go to a court trial having the Prosecutor do double duty as your defense lawyer? Absurd and ridiculous? So is using the listing agent as your realtor and expecting them to act in your best interest.

Call me today (978-580-1069) if you’re ready to buy and want your own buyer’s agent! You deserve it.

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All About Cables & Connections

Ever wondered what all the different holes on the back of your plasma or LCD TV are for? Are you buying a new HDTV and want to make sure you get one with the right connections. Or do you want to know if the high priced cable that the TV salesman wants you to buy are really worth it.

There is a new article on Screen-Wipes.co.uk that reveals all you need to know about cabling.

Read Confused about Cables

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