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    How important referrals really are...and what a fine standard for all Sellers/Buyers to be able to hold an Agent to!

    As a local Realtor and the Broker/Owner of Freitas Realty Group, referrals are the nicest thank you I could ever receive...and when an Agent working for my company receives a referral, I know they are doing their job of inspiring confidence in our clients.

    I've found that all too often, Agents in the business forget what a true measure of success referrals really are. Closings are not the measure...it isn't determined until very long after the closing. It is determined that moment when someone we have assisted in realizing a home ownership dream feels that a friend/family member/colleague would be better suited navigating the crazy waters of real estate with us by their side.

    That is the measure of success that we at Freitas Realty Group strive for every day...to make you look at us as the standard by which you'll measure all others!!!

    And we sincerely thank all of you that have referred (and keep on referring) those nearest and dearest to you to us here at Freitas Realty Group! Making dreams come true one home at a time!

    www.freitasrealty.com

    Every year the National Association of Realtors® conducts a study of home Buyers and Sellers to determine the value of using a Realtor® when taking part in the home buying/selling process.  The results are always interesting and invaluable to Buyers and Sellers alike...and reiterate how to get the most bang for your buck!

    The 2006 Massachusetts Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers "highlights the increasing prevalence of the public's overwhelming utilization of the services of a real estate agent during the sale and search of their home, and that homes sold by real estate professionals sell for higher than homes sold by the property owner."

    Following please find an overview of the survey, with Massachusetts home Buyers and Sellers specific information, in addition to Nationwide information:*

FSBO & Agent-Assisted Sales Massachusetts
Just 7% of all FSBO properties were placed on the open market this past year.

 Selling Price, FSBO, and Agent-Assisted Sellers Massachusetts
(Percentage Distribution)
Homes sold with assistance from a real estate professional typically had a median selling price that was 31.9% higher than homes sold by the property owner.

	FSBO			Agent-Assisted
	All FSBO	Seller knew Buyer	Seller did not know Buyer	All Agent-Assisted	Agent-Assisted Only	First FSBO, then Agent-Assisted
Median Selling Price	$312,000	$450,000	$287,000	$385,000	$375,000	$460,000

 Level of Service Provided by the Real Estate Agent
(Percentage Distribution)
93% of Massachusetts homeowners used a full-service brokerage; 7% used a limited service agency.

	MA	US
A broad range of services and management of most aspects of the home sale	93%	83%
A limited set of services as requested by the Seller	7%	9%
The agent listed the home on the MLS and performed few if any additional services	<1%	8%
Other	3%	3%
Through a real estate agent/broker	81%	87%

 What Sellers Most Want from Real Estate Agents
(Percentage Distribution)
Sellers said what they wanted most from their agent was to price the home competitively (20%) and sell it within a specific time-frame (33%).

	Massachusetts
Help sell the home within specific timeframe	33%
Help price home competitively	20%
Help find a Buyer for home	14%
Help Seller market home to potential Buyers	14%
Help Seller find ways to fix up home to sell it for more	13%
Help with negotiation and dealing with Buyers	3%
Help with paperwork/inspections/preparing for settlement	3%
Help see homes available for Seller to purchase	<1%
Other	<1%

 Characteristics of Home Buyers Massachusetts
A record 24% of buyers are single women.

	2006	2005	2004	2003
Married couple	60%	65%	64%	52%
Single female	24%	15%	18%	21%
Single male	6%	7%	4%	11%
Unmarried couple	8%	11%	11%	15%
Other	2%	2%	3%	1%

Factors Influencing Neighborhood Choice, By Location Massachusetts
(Percentage Distribution)
The most significant factor influencing the decision on where to buy a home was the quality of the neighborhood. 

	All Buyers
Quality of the neighborhood	65%
Convenient to job	51%
Convenient to friends/family	42%
Quality of the school district	26%
Design of neighborhood	24%
Convenient to shopping	24%
Convenient to entertainment/leisure activities	21%
Convenient to public transportation	17%
Convenient to parks/recreational facilities	17%
Convenient to schools	14%
Convenient to health facilities	10%
Other	10%
Convenient to airport	6%
Home in a planned community	3%

 2006 Market Correction Massachusetts
After four consecutive years of steady home sales and price growth, the residential real estate market in Massachusetts experienced a healthy correction in sales and selling prices during 2006.  Although the market experienced a dip in residential sales and softening in selling prices over year ago totals, the data suggests the market is set to stabilize in the year ahead.

	2006	YEAR	END		2005	YEAR	END
	Single-Family Sales	Median Selling Price	Condo Sales	Median Selling Price	Single Family Sales	Median Selling Price	Condo Sales	Median Selling Price
N.Bristol County	1,627	$335,000	595	$234,000	1,866	$339,900	621	$236,000
Tri-County	2,268	$319,000	763	$243,500	2,654	$325,000	864	$248,000
Plymouth-S. Shore	3,252	$386,000	1,288	$265,210	3,856	$399,000	1,444	$267,250
SOUTH SHORE	7,147	$351,500	2,646	$253,750	8,376	$364,000	2,929	$259,900
Gr. Fall River	664	$288,000	199	$180,000	768	$288,000	178	$158,500
Gr. New Bedford	709	$275,000	59	$153,750	1,149	$279,900	95	$150,450
SOUTHEAST	1,373	$281,850	258	$170,000	1,917	$285,000	273	$153,250
BOSTON	9,792	$480,000	9,529	$340,000	10,750	$492,000	10,526	$345,000
CAPE COD	3,194	$392,250	767	$274,450	3,986	$400,000	1,033	$269,000
E. Middlesex	1,437	$405,500	499	$295,000	1,511	$425,000	607	$281,000
Northeast	2,950	$360,000	1,639	$217,000	3,718	$372,500	1,901	$217,000
Gr. Newburyport	551	$430,000	382	$290,000	573	$438,000	464	$279,950
North Shore	3,104	$375,000	1,823	$245,000	3,821	$383,000	2,343	$253,000
NORTHEAST	8,042	$381,750	4,343	$240,000	9,623	$392,000	5,315	$240,000
Worcester Regional	5,106	$296,950	1,759	$200,900	6,160	$309,000	1,918	$220,000
North Central Mass.	2,043	$260,000	383	$193,000	2,708	$269,900	474	$189,000
CENTRAL	7,149	$285,000	2,142	$199,900	8,868	$296,000	2,392	$208,807
Berkshire County	1,001	$212,000	97	$195,000	1,175	$209,900	105	$230,300
Pioneer Valley	5,326	$208,700	916	$158,000	5,656	$201,000	963	$145,000
WEST	6,327	$209,000	1,013	$162,000	6,831	$202,000	1,068	$150,000
STATEWIDE	43,024	$350,000	20,698	$275,000	50,351	$360,000	23,536	$276,000

*All statistics and descriptions taken from the 2006 Massachusetts Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers compiled by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).