As we head into 2012, one of our New Years Resolutions is to blog more about our properties. At RPL we list some truly interesting and unique homes, worthy of recognition, so we thought it might be fun to exhibit what you can get for $650,000K. We will feature different price points in the future.

WHAT: A four-bedroom, two and a half bath home in Scituate
HOW MUCH: $625,000
SIZE: 3,500 square feet
SETTING: The home is in Northern Scituate, just over fifteen miles west of downtown Providence. The community is rural; known for its apple orchards, hearty farms, and stone walls, and major fall art festival. The dominant geographical feature is the Scituate Reservoir—the largest freshwater body of water in the state, with forests and ponds filling the rest of the landscape. The property is about five miles away from the historic village of North Scituate—known for its annual art festival over Columbus Day Weekend.
INSIDE: The home itself is a historic reproduction of the 1683 Parson Capen House in Topsfield, MA. The house is done in the post and beam style, and incorporates wide brick fireplaces, hardwood floors, and paneled walls into the design. The living room, dining room, kitchen, library, and family room are on the entry level. The four bedrooms are upstairs, and there is a study on the third floor. Several of the rooms have built in bookshelves.
OUTDOOR SPACE: The home sits on 1.58 acres. There is a large stone patio and a bird bath. A walkway weaves throughout the gardens.

WHAT: A four bedroom, three and a half bath townhouse in the Wayland Square neighborhood of Providence
HOW MUCH: $639,000
SIZE: 3,900 square feet
SETTING: This building is in the affluent Wayland Square neighborhood of the East Side. The neighborhood, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, features a mix of colonial revival architecture and Queen Ann style houses. The building is within five bocks of Wayland Square, a commercial area lined with restaurants and shops, amidst residential homes. It’s also three blocks from Blackstone Boulevard, a 1.7 mile green space for jogging and walking, and about half a mile from Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design.
INSIDE: This unit, a townhouse, is one of only two in the 1915 building. The interior features hardwood floors, beamed ceilings, and crowned moldings. The entire building has been renovated within the last two years, including the kitchen, washer, dryer, bathrooms, windows. The living room, dining room, and kitchen are on the entry level. Three of the unit’s bedrooms are on the second level, and the fourth is on the third floor. There is a sitting room on the lower level.
OUTDOOR SPACE: There is a common area outside with a large stone patio and white gazebo.

WHAT: A four-bedroom, four bath historic farmhouse in North Kingstown’s Harborview Farm Preserve.
HOW MUCH: $650,000
SIZE: 3,687
SETTING: This house is in a private compound less than five minutes from Calf Pasture Beach and the Quidnesset Golf and Country Club. Goddard Park—about four miles away—features a nine hole golf course, a horse barn where the public can rent and ride horses, a beach with a bathhouse, sprawling open fields, and a carousel building for functions. Wickford Village—about ten miles away—is anchored by a natural harbor lined with historic buildings and locally owned shops, galleries and restaurants.
INSIDE: The house was built in 1800, and recent renovations accent the original hardwoods, five fireplaces, and exposed beams. The home now includes skylights, kitchen-and-bathroom updates, and central air, along with a new roof and heating system. The living room, dining room, family room, and kitchen are on the entry level. All four bedrooms are on the second floor. The master bedroom has a fireplace.
OUTDOOR SPACE: The lot is on well over three fourths of an acre, surrounded by stone walls and wooden fences. There’s a backyard patio, accessible from the family room. There are views of the fields in every direction.

Since the holiday season is upon us, we thought it might be appropriate to give a quick update on Residential Properties charity endeavors.

A few weeks ago, we blogged about the Woonsocket Adopt-A-Family. The group provides gifts and toys to children of needy families, and two Residential Properties agents―Sandra Soares and Janice Geddes―are actively involved. Their goal is to deliver a message of hope to those youngsters who might not get to have a traditional holiday celebration, and we think this is an admirable aim.

While the organization has matched 1,400 children with donors this year, they are still in need of volunteers to provide for the remaining 472 children. If the group cannot find additional volunteers, this will be the first time in nine years that they have had to turn families away. If you would like to help bring the holidays to those less fortunate, contact Sandy Soares at ssoares@residentialproperties.com

The RPL Providence office is also getting in on the holiday giving. For the past four years, the office has worked with the Salvation Army on Broad Street to bring gifts to children in need. Organized by agent Sandy Conca, the office has delivered almost everything requested in years past, and looks forward to doing the same in 2011. If you would like to contribute to this initiative, contact Sandy Conca at sconca@residentialproperties.com

Anna Clancy, an RPL agent, has been involved with the Barrington schools since 1997. Over the years, she has served in a variety of functions—helping in the classroom, serving on district wide committees, working with PTOs—but her most recent engagement is with the Barrington Education Foundation. Three years ago, Anna was invited to serve on the Foundation’s Board. She has been involved with BEF ever since.

The Foundation champions educational opportunities within the Barrington Public School District. Founded in 1992 and entirely staffed by volunteers, the organization has raised over $860,000 for the local schools, funding a wide variety of programs, technology, and materials. Through an annual grant cycle, nearly 100% of the raised capital goes to the schools, providing a direct benefit for the enrichment of students in every grade and school in the district.

The organization was formed in reaction to budget cuts by the school committee and dwindling state funds. Barrington is now one of the highest performing school districts in the state. Since the Rhode Island Department of Education started posting district statistics online in 2003, Barrington High School has been commended by the Board of Regents five times, and has exceeded statewide proficiency targets for seven out of the past eight years. In 2006, 2007, and 2009, Barrington students had the highest scores in math and reading testing in the state.

In her time at the Barrington Education Foundation, Anna has chaired a committee that organizes the Rubber Ducky Race, one of the organization’s largest fundraisers. This year, as co-chair of the Allocations Committee, she “has the pleasure of giving money away,” soliciting and reviewing grant applications from the schools’ faculty and administrators. Ultimately, the committee will recommend which should receive funding to the larger board.

Over the years, Residential Properties Ltd. has been very supportive of the BEF—sponsoring events, opening the Barrington office for use during the annual telethon, donating prizes for the duck race. This year, agents at RPL Barrington pooled their resources to make a significant donation to the foundation.

While the BEF was the first to pioneer the concept, many public education foundations have surfaced throughout the state since it’s inception. Counting the municipalities that belong to a larger school district, 22 out of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns now have some sort of Education Foundation, and many of these organizations have sprung up only in the last three or four years.

The State Department of Education lists this as the first year Rhode Island students scored at or above the national average on all four tests administered by by the federal government on the “Nation’s Report Card,” according to the WRNI Education blog.

We believe that these types of organizations are important to Rhode Island because they consistently impact the educational experience of ALL students within a community.

Nice work, Anna Clancy & the BEF.

As you may know, I’m one of the professionals on the new Fox Providence show The Money Pro$. My last appearance was on the episode about the real estate market, which ran in August. You can catch a replay of my segment on buying in today’s market below.

This Sunday, The Money Pro$ will debut a program on Business Succession Planning. Only 30% of small businesses survive to the second generation, so this is a very relevant issue. Maintaining the continuity of the business for stakeholders including co-owners, employees, family and customers is a major issue for large and small companies, and an important aspect in retaining employment in the state. Owning a family business, the topic is of interest to me. Estate planner Karen DelPonte, Esp. partner at Cameron & Mittleman, LLP., and CPA Greg Porcaro, partner of Otrando Porcaro & Associates, will weigh in on the matter. They will be joined by Russ Towers, Esq. of Broker Service Marketing Group, at the round table discussion.

The Money Pro$ is aired weekly on WNAC 64 at 11:30AM. Check your service provider for the channel locations. As a future programming note, I will soon be in the studio recording the December show. I’ll announce the airing date in the next few weeks.

Here’s a clip from the real estate episode:

Advice: buying in today’s home market: foxprovidence.com

The Money Pro$ provides Southern New England with easily available information on personal finance. If you’re interested in this subject, their website has video from all the episodes, including that of my good friend/radio co-host Steve Tetzner.

The holiday season seems to be rushing in on us. For some it’s a great time, but for others it can be tough because the economy has taken a huge toll on their resources. That’s why we think it’s a necessary task to be involved in community projects. This year, we want to acknowledge Sandra Soares, an agent in our Cumberland office, for her work with the Woonsocket Adopt-A-Family. We think that giving back is of great importance, and we’re proud that Sandy has been associated with the organization since 1989. A past president and current Treasurer of the Board of Directors, Sandy has served as Program Coordinator since 1999.

Adopt-A-Family, Inc. is a non-profit Rhode Island corporation whose mission is to provide Christmas to needy children in Woonsocket. The agency was started in 1983 by a group of volunteers, and has been a popular local charity in Northern Rhode Island ever since. In 1992, the Woonsocket Adopt-A-Family began keeping annual records. Since then over 30,000 children have been provided for in a city where 35% of children under the age of six live below the poverty level.

Annually, the organization receives applications from nearly 1,200 families in Woonsocket. The last eight years they have been successful in providing for 100% of those eligible. In 2010 the group produced presents for over 2,200 kids from more than 1,000 families—that’s roughly 100 classrooms of children. Each year, they are able to bring approximately $325,000 worth of goods into the city through donations, which mainly consist of toys, clothes, and donations. The organization also raises approximately $20,000 per year to purchase items for children without assigned donors.

As normal but especially this year, Adopt-A-Family is in need of donors and volunteers. Many of these families’ parents are out of work, or working but in school trying to make a future for themselves and their children. Their budgets are stretched to the point of breaking, and some have.

Adopt-A-Family welcomes and is searching for those who can to join them this year as volunteers and contributors. The organization also works in tandem with the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, which is another way to help out this holiday season.

For more information contact Sandy Soares at ssoares@residentialproperties.com.