East Greenwich celebrated the holiday season with 3 more “strolls”.  The town is decked to the max and so is Residential Properties Ltd.!

We emptied out our conference room and it was turned into a holiday wonderland! All furnishings are on loan from Marianne Mernick-Sullivan at Consignments Ltd. The display was designed by Mary Harrington of At Home Redesigns.  Hats off to Marianne and Mary for a stunning display!

The spirit of giving was shown by a group of agents from our East Greenwich office who have been knitting scarves for the troops since last month.  The scarves were presented to our local recruiters on December 9th to send over to the soldiers in time for the holidays.

Other items were sent along as well, including food, homemade cookies, toiletries, newspapers, magazines, and cards handmade by students from Our Lady of Mercy in East Greenwich and Bay View Academy in East Providence.

Residential Properties Ltd. would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s “Deck Your Doors” contest.

Our first place winner was Karen Bergevine at 735 Nate Whipple Highway, Cumberland.  In second place was Maureen Burke at 75 Fairhaven Rd, Cumberland and third place winner was Sheilah Figliolini at 12 Westbrook Way, Cumberland.  We saw fabulous responses to this year’s theme: Let’s think Green this Holiday season!!  Cumberland homeowners creatively decorated with fresh greens.

“Deck Your Doors” began in 1995 when I joined the Cumberland office of Residential Properties as its new manager.  My agents wanted to think of a way to give back to the community during the holiday season.  Since people put so much time into decorating their homes, we thought it would be fun to highlight this creativity.  We organized contests for 10 years, donating the entry fees to local non-profit organizations.

We haven’t organized the contest in a few years.  In view of this year’s trying times, we decided to waive any entry fee and allow people to come together in creative spirit.  In the past, charities that have benefitted from the contest include Children’s Friend and Service, Cumberland Library, Cumberland Senior Center, Blackstone Shelter, DARE, Boys and Girls Club of Cumberland/Lincoln, Cumberland High School, Home and Hospice Care of RI, to name a few.

In the past, holiday themes have included “Holidays for Children”, “Celebration of light”, and “A patriotic Holiday”.  Every year we are so impressed with the imagination of our fellow Blackstone Valley residents.

We would like to thank our three judges: Peter Dandurand, real estate broker and former owner of Dandurand Flower Shop, Marcia Green, Managing Editor-in-chief of The Valley Breeze, and Tracy Lee of Interiors by Tracy Lee.  The judging took place on Thursday night, December 18th.

Click here to read the story on “Deck Your Doors,” printed in The Valley Breeze.

Next year, we will be changing this contest to include tours of holiday decorated interiors of homes in Cumberland.

MSN recently provided readers with a list of 7 great cities to live in.  They also detailed 7 cities to visit.  Providence made the list of livable cities, with the author touting the city’s “Independent Spirit”.

To read the full article, click here.

Music Together® is an early childhood program that is targeted at encouraging musical development in children. Classes are for children age newborn through five and their caregivers. Information on the curriculum can be found at: www.musictogether.com

For a little over a year, my daughter and I have been enjoying Music Together classes here in Barrington. It is a wonderful parent and child activity and the musical exposure has been helpful for both of us. The classes run for 45 minutes and are a great way of forgetting life little stresses and focusing on having fun with your child or children.

On Monday, we attended a Music Together Holiday Sing-Along where we sang, danced, and played instrument jams to a variety of holiday songs from different traditions. It is really an experience to hear 15 children playing with drumsticks to “The Little Drummer Boy.” The children’s excitement is both palpable and contagious.

There are more Holiday Sing-Alongs scheduled for December 16th & 17th. We had so much fun that we’re going for a 2nd time. Visit: www.musictogethereastbay.com for more information. The winter classes are now enrolling as well. Classes start the week of January 12, 2009 and run for ten weeks.

Reasons a seller might want to take a house off the market during the holidays:

1. To take a break from maintaining a “showing ready” home.

2. So that they may relax and enjoy the holiday season.

3. So that they may fully decorate for the holiday season (not recommended if keeping one’s house on the market).

4. If there is no urgency or timeframe for the move.

5. So as not to be potentially faced with the possibility of moving during the winter months.

Reasons a seller may want to keep a home on the market:

1. Buyers that are looking at this time of year tend to be more serious and are looking for a house rather than “just looking”.

2. Many people use vacation time near the end of the year and have greater availability to view homes.

3. There are generally fewer properties on the market at this time, and therefore less competition.

4. A house will not sell if it is off the market.

5. If the house has a small yard, it is more likely to be overlooked in the wintertime.

6. The Holidays are not celebrated by all potential buyers.

7. To reap the benefits of prior marketing exposure – those already aware of the property through previous marketing efforts may now be in a better position to take action.

8. Employers relocate employees at all times of the year.

9. To avoid the holding costs of maintaining the property until springtime.

Tips for home maintenance during winter months:

1. Keep spaces as clear as possible. Keep walkways clear and well-lit.

2. Box up items that are not crucial for day-to-day living.

3. Decorate with items that are important holiday traditions but don’t go overboard. It is not effortless for buyers to see themselves in a new home.

4. Keep views clear. Allow potential buyers to view the property from all windows.

5. Make closets and storage spaces including the garage and basement as appealing as possible. A seller can make an investment in garage organizers that can be taken with them to their new home (or purchased by the buyer).