Massachusetts Real Estate and Local Community Blog | AboutHomes

Image by mcdlttx via Flickr

Diane, I am still in Florida because Hurricane Irene was busy messing up New England and we can’t get back to Massachusetts until late Wednesday.

We are using our extra time in Florida to hang out with the amazing Debbie Kirkland and reflecting on what an amazing time we had at RE BarCamp Orlando and the Florida REALTORS conference. Both events were run beautifully, but the best part was the opportunity to visit with friends and share the love of social media by teaching.

It was an awesome time visiting with old friends and new and attaching a hug on friends who we hadn’t yet met face to face, but already know and love. People must get tired of listening to me gush about how powerfully social media has impacted my life, but what the HAIL, I am going to say it again….without social media I would be missing out on so many gifts of friendship, business and love. I am so grateful to Debbie Kirkland and the Florida REALTORS for having both you and I teach and speak about social media for real estate.

We also had a few running gags this week, like T-Rex and planking and all of us Twitterqueens ran around in tiaras for a good amount of the time! Some of said Twitterqueens may or may not have eaten crickets, too….you will have to watch to discover the answer to that!

Well…that is enough typing: watch this and have a giggle!

Image via Wikipedia

Hi Diane! I am back from my daughter’s national dance competition and ready to take on the long neglected issue of my health and wellness.

Today I did my first workout in over SEVEN years. It was tough and I am still feeling it hours later, but I am committed to making this lifestyle change to take care of myself. As a working mom and REALTOR, the first things to go are the things for ourselves, but I am going to make this priority because I want to feel good about myself.  This issue isn’t exclusive to the real estate industry, I am sure that most working moms can relate.

My good friends Jill and Barb at Expert Fitness in Westfield, MA got me going on the gym part of this plan today. They helped my ten year old recover from her broken leg so she could dance in her nationals and now they are helping me take control of my fitness.

I want you and the Abouthom.es viewers to keep me motivated and hold me accountable!

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Image by JohnnyCashsAshes via Flickr

Diane, this weekend I went hiking to the top of Mt. Tom in Holyoke, MA.  It was a beautiful (although a bit hot) day to be outside and it felt great to be getting some exercise.  Boy did I get exercise!   We went up what used to be the Mt Tom ski area’s trails to the summit.

I did really well until the very end, when I didn’t think I could go up anymore…it was steep and hot and I was exhausted!  I kept reminding myself that I come from good German Alps climbing stock and compared to the tiniest Alp, Mt. Tom is a mere bump!

The views were worth the exhaustion…the wildflowers and whispering grasses.  The creaking, singing sounds of nature as bugs hum and chirp, birds sing and cry and the wind blows and rustles.  We saw several large hawks along the way, too.

Mt. Tom closed their ski and wave pool operations in 1998 and the buildings and grounds look like a condemned ghost town.  We hiked up what was a ski slope, I think it was Pump House and then Big Tom Run to the point where the summit chair lift used to drop skiiers.

The views of the valley were amazing as we could look out to the buildings in Springfield, Holyoke, South Hadley and beyond.

I have been working on getting into better shape and this hike was certainly a good workout!  It also reminded me that the best things are the things you work hard to reach.

I hope you had a great weekend, too!

Here are some informational links about Mt. Tom in case you want to know more about this Western Massachusetts destination.

Mt. Tom Ski Area info, trail maps, pictures.

Mountain Park history and wiki

Current Concert Listings for Mountain Park

Historical photos from Mountain Park

Mt Tom Wiki

Diane is right, you have to prioritize your needs and wants before you can go house hunting.

First and foremost before you can consider chooshing your next home, of course, is price.  How much home are you comfortable affording?

Once you have that narrowed down it is time to get to the nitty gritty: neighborhood.  Where do you want to live?  No sense shopping in areas where you won’t be happy, so determine your neighborhoods early on.

Then you get to the finer details: how many bedrooms do you need, do you want a garage, is the acreage important to you?

When I was house shopping I did all of the above and I was really struggling to find the right place.  One house was great except it had no garage.  Another had the garage, but I didn’t like the area and so on….

My mother stepped in and asked me at that point if I was looking at condominiums.  I argued that I didn’t want a condo and she dragged to me to see the condominium where I now live.  Here is her advice along with some of mine: (ps. stay tuned to the end, we are going to play a little “drinking game”)

There is this cool movement in Holyoke, MA called “Bring Your Own Restaurant”. This moveable feast is in its third season and is a unique experience.

I attended my first BYOR in May and created a short video about the experience:

This Friday, July 1st is the next BYOR at the “Dingle Park” at the top of 391 at Jackson and Maple Streets in Holyoke, MA from 7pm – 11pm. This is also the Holyoke Fireworks and they hope to be able to see the display from this location. They hold these events every 2 weeks during the summer months, so check their schedule!

For more information you can visit their Facebook Event Page.