Newton Centre Associates
50 Union St. Suite 200
Newton Centre, MA 02459

TEL: 617-965-3300
FAX: 617-965-3321
EMAIL: info@nca1.net

Newton Centre Associates Office Location

Back By Popular Demand...

NCA's Real Estate Trade Show & Seminar!

Monday, April 7th, 6pm to 9pm
Newton Marriott Hotel on Comm Ave.
Free Admission

We are very proud to present our 4th "Real Estate Trade Show & Seminar". Each year it gets better & better. This year we will offer a light dinner of:

Strip Loin

Antipasto

Assorted desserts

Coffee/tea & soft drinks as well as a cash bar

Seating is LIMITED!!

Please RSVP to attend! Call the office or email today!mike@nca1.net

After the presentation there will be a Q & A period.

Keynote Speaker: Barbara Chandler

Nation Fair Housing Expert

Massachusetts Architectural Access Board

Board of Directors for the Citizens Housing and Planning Association

Ms. Chandler will cover a range of topics including; Landlord required modifications for disabled tenants; Tenant modifications at their cost, what one can and can not ask with regard to disabilities and new Real Estate laws that effect landlords.

Barbara Chandler has advocated for persons with disabilities, elders, victims of domestic violence and low-income families for twenty-nine years. Ms. Chandler is the Fair Housing Manager for the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership, Inc. She is the lead staff person for policy, technical assistance and training on fair housing for the agency. Ms. Chandler was formerly the Director for Housing Projects at Adaptive Environments where she managed the Fair Housing Accessibility First Design and Construction Resource Center (DCRC), a nationwide service that provides technical assistance on compliance with the federal Fair Housing Act requirements, in addition to consulting and training. Prior to her work at Adaptive Environments, she was the Policy Analyst for the City of Boston Office of Civil Rights, where she dealt with fair housing, disability and civil rights issues. She was the past Director of the Coordinated Aging, Rehabilitation and Disability Services Project (CARDS) for the Executive Office of Elder Affairs and as well as a Planner with the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council. She has served on the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board and presently sits on the Board of Directors for the Citizens Housing and Planning Association. She has been recognized for her housing advocacy work for persons with disabilities by Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), receiving their 1994 Community Service Award, and by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Mass: Dartmouth. She did her graduate studies in the field of sociology at Indiana State University.

For information about attending or sponsoring the show, contact Michael Spurr at the office.
617-965-3300
mike@nca1.net

Tenant Tips...

Some Tips for Your Move!

Moving can be a confusing operation. Here are some things to consider before and during your move

For those of you who are not interested in keeping everything you've ever owned try and decide which items you would like to take with you and which items are deserving of discard. The decision is your's and likely depends on the value of a given item, monetary or nostalgic. A moving sale is always a good idea to earn some extra cash for a housewarming party! If not so inclined we recommend donating remaining items to worthwhile charity organizations. Be sure to acquire receipts if you want to keep them for your tax records.

Packing your house or apartment is time consuming. Plan ahead and allow sufficient time to accomplish the task in an efficient and organized manner. There are companies that service this type of business and can be found easily online or in the phonebook.

It is always a good idea to organize legal, medical and insurance records and keep them in a safe and easily accessible place. Personal information such as birth, baptismal and marriage records should be dealt with in a similar manner.

Remember to make arrangements to discontinue certain services such as newspaper delivery, electricity, water Service, gas service, fuel or oil delivery, garbage collection, landscaping service or any other service that is under your name and costing you money. If moving a good distance, you should consider closing any local department store or other charge accounts. For such services as gas and electric be sure to check if you are due any refund.

You will most likely want to notify the following of your change of address: post office, magazines, credit cards, insurance companies, social security office, mail order accounts and of course, friends and relatives. In addition, you should consider filling and transferring prescriptions for yourself, family and pets.

As your move date approaches defrost the refrigerator and freezer, drain fuel and oil from lawn mowers and other power equipment. In order to allow for uniterrupted service, contact your local gas, electric, water, telephone and cable providers and sign up for service at your new address. Remember to make reservations for moving vans ahead of time. Depending on the time of year and day of week you move, availabilty can be tight. And try to recruit moving-day help ahead of time. Splitting responsibilities between roommates and family members can lessen the burden. Make sure to assign appropriately! Good Luck with your move and new place.

Tips for finding an apartment in the Greater Boston area:

Ask yourself,
1. What do I need?,  (parking, T, 128/Mass Pike,) vs. what do I want?, (2 bath, ac, garage)
2. When do I need to move?
3. Where do I find it?  the Sunday Globe, and of coarse the internet.

A good rental agent should:
1. know the area well,
2. have seen the unit they are marketing,
3. listen to your needs, and ask many questions,
4. always return calls.

Realtor vs. Owner:
1. Realtors can show you many properties, owners show only theirs,
2. Realtors charge a fee, owner can't charge a finders fee,
3. Realtors have others resources and are always involved in the business, where as an owner may have another full time career to focus on.

The Fee:Some people think real estate fees are too high for the amount of work that the agents do. Justifying a good agent's commission is much easier to grasp if you understand the iceburg theory. As you know, 90 percent of an ice-burg's bulk is hidden under water. By the same token, you can't tell how much time an agents invests based on the amount of time you see them working. Good real estate agents spend hours touring new properties and following up on homes that have been on the market awhile in order to see if the terms and price have changed. Your agent will also guide you through the transaction after you choose an apartment. There is a lot more to an agents job than just opening a door.
Newton Centre Associates'  fee is equal to one months rent.
 

Here's the office!