Four Columns Realty Blog

Coming: North Quabbin Retail and Business Park

Shopping options and employment opportunities in the Athol-Orange area are looking up.

According to David Ames, Athol Town Manager, and Steve Raymond, Director of the North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce, the proposed North Quabbin Retail and Business Park in is slated to provide:

• About 450,000 square feet of retail space
• At least 3 major retail stores
• A hotel, a bank and one or more restaurants
• Office and business areas
• About 800 openings for new jobs
• Up to $1,000,000 in annual property tax payments

Mr. Ames recently told Four Columns Realty that 2 anchor tenants (a grocery store and a leading retailer) are on board. The developers are close to signing up a third major retail store. We have heard reports that a well-known home improvement outlet is interested.

The proposed location, off Templeton Road (Route 2A) about a mile east of uptown Athol, is close to Route 2 and an easy drive from many places in the North Quabbin Region.

The developers are now performing site engineering studies, preparing infrastructure grant proposals and searching for additional tenants. While Athol town officials and Massachusetts development agencies say they back the proposal, some hurdles remain. Groundbreaking will not happen before next year.

Although it will take some time, Mr. Raymond expects the proposed North Quabbin Retail and Business Park to become an important part of the Athol-Orange area within the next few years. Four Columns Realty agrees.

North Quabbin Region Market Trends Update

14 15 single family homes in the North Quabbin Region have gone under contract since the start of July. Is the local real estate market picking up? Maybe - it's too soon to tell.

The number of homes sold in the Athol-Orange area continues to lag behind last year's pace. Property inventory remains high. Prices are staying flat.

What does this mean for motivated sellers and bargain-shopping buyers? Find out in the current Four Columns Realty Market Trends Report. To get your free copy, email us or give us a call at (978) 544-5100 today.

New Report Says Local Real Estate Market Favors Buyers

From the Athol Daily News, July 5, 2007:

The market for single-family homes in the North Quabbin Region continues to favor buyers, according to a new report from Four Columns Realty. The Orange real estate firm has just released its latest Market Trends Report.

Les Black, local attorney and Four Columns Realty co-owner, pointed out the significance of the report. “While you often hear about national or statewide trends, real estate is local. That’s why Four Columns Realty decided to focus on what’s happening to the real estate market here in Athol, Orange and the smaller towns around us.”

Among the free report’s key findings:

• There’s a surplus of homes for sale. As of last week, there were 352 single-family homes on the market in the North Quabbin Region. That’s more than the number of homes that changed hands in the region in all of 2006. The number of local homes for sale is 28% higher than it was a year ago and 47% higher than it was two years ago.

• Houses are lingering longer on the market. The average single-family home for sale in the North Quabbin Region has been on the market for 165 days. A year ago, the average was 139 days. Two years ago it was 101 days.

• Home prices in the North Quabbin Region remain close to their historic highs. The median price of all single-family homes sold in the North Quabbin Region so far in 2007 is $178,500. Although this year’s median price is off about 4% from last year’s, it’s still 55% higher than the median price of homes sold in our region in 2001, just a few years ago.

Asked what these findings mean to local sellers and buyers, Black said, “Realty has met reality. Sellers need to know the market and price their houses competitively. Buyers need to know the market, too, so they can spot the bargains that are out there.”

“Fortunately,” Black added, “Orange and Athol have some excellent real estate offices. Sellers and buyers can ‘shop locally’ and find all the real estate knowledge they need. In fact, the Realtors who know the local market best are right here in Athol and Orange.”

Free copies of the report are available from Four Columns Realty. Call or email Four Columns Realty to obtain a copy.

Free North Quabbin Region Market Trends Report

How does today's market for single family homes in the North Quabbin Region favor buyers? What 2 key steps do sellers need to take now? What should buyers and sellers watch for this summer?

You can find out in the latest Four Columns Realty Market Trends Report. The report covers home prices, the number of listings and sales, days on market and other factors affecting Athol-Orange area real estate.

To get your free copy of this up-to-date local real estate report by email or postal mail, email us or give us a call today.