Mary Stolarczyk

Single-Family – 77 Allen Road Sturbridge, MA 01566 now has a new price!

Mary Stolarczyk — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:00:12 +0000

Pretty colonial near South Pond! Dramatic two-story foyer welcomes you. Family room with skylights, screened sunroom overlooking a natural private yard with beautiful perennials and wild flowers. Bird lovers paradise! Exterior just stained in 2010, and some recent interior painting. Public boat access with ramp and beach nearby. Fishing, boating, swimming and close to Route 20 and shopping/restaurants. Priced well – motivated seller! Come take a look.

This is a Colonial style home and features 8 total rooms, 2 full baths, 1 half bath, 3 bedrooms, 1.04 Acres, and is currently available for $251,000.

For complete details click here.

Single-Family – 11 Shale Street Worcester, MA 01604 is now new to the market!

Mary Stolarczyk — Sun, 13 May 2012 15:00:11 +0000

What a wonderful home! Same owners for many years are moving South. Open living area with a cozy faux fireplace. Updated kitchen with new appliances, updated cabinets and sile stone sink. Lots of storage space, central vac and whole house fan. Windows have been replaced and roof stripped in 2007. Pretty front yard, back overlooks the city and is situated above the old El Morocco. Sheds and outdoor storage with plenty of off-street parking on a dead-end street.

This is a Cape/Saltbox/Cottage style home and features 9 total rooms, 2 full baths, 3 bedrooms, 0.11 Acres, and is currently available for $139,900.

For complete details click here.

Create a Warm and Inviting Atmosphere

Mary Stolarczyk — Sun, 13 May 2012 11:00:30 +0000

Candles can make a home look inviting, cozy and warm. They can also give a glow to many people’s skin tones. Candles come in many sizes, shapes and scents. Burning of candles during a showing can make the home feel warm and inviting making the buyer feel relaxed and calm. Try to pick out colors like maroon (cinnamon) orange (pumpkin) these scents are soothing and relaxing scents and will help make the potential sellers feel like home. The placing of the candles is very important. The best places to put them are in the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen table, window sills, and fireplace mantel.

If you have a fireplace, lighting a fire is a sure way to give that room a warm and welcoming feeling. Everybody loves a fireplace and your buyers will too.

Bake something delicious smelling. The Real Estate experts swear by the just baked smell when showing a home. It makes your potential buyers feel right at home. Things like Apple pie; chocolate chip cookies or fresh baked bread all will create that warm and inviting feeling.

Family photos in the home make your home feel like a house full of love. Potential buyers who see photos of a family having fun, and enjoying life in their home will create a sense of a home that has a lot of memories and love.

Bottom line, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere can help you sell your home.

Rental – 36 Elm Street Worcester, MA 01609 now has a new price!

Mary Stolarczyk — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:00:46 +0000

The Penthouse now available for rent! Historic Brownstone centrally located. Walk to the finest museums and restaurants. Gorgeous hardwoods, natural woodwork, slanted ceiling and large windows. Character galore. Fully applianced including washer and dryer. Rent includes heat and hot water.

This property features 4 total rooms, 1 full bath, 1 bedroom, and is currently available for $1,150.

For complete details click here.

Starting a Vegetable Garden

Mary Stolarczyk — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:00:25 +0000

Eating fresh-picked corn or vine-ripened tomatoes is a life-altering experience. But where do you start? How do you choose from racks of seeds, catalog after catalog and rows upon rows of nursery seedlings? Successful small-scale farmers know what and when to plant, and how to start the crops. Here are some tips from eHow on how to get started.

1. Grow only those vegetables you enjoy eating. Give priority to those prized for incredible flavor when eaten fresh from the garden: sweet corn, beans and peas, tomatoes and young spinach, among others.

2. Prepare a plot of flat ground that gets full sun nearly all day. Break up and turn the soil and add compost or other organic material (See How to Buy Soil Amendments). A full day of blazing sunshine is especially important if you grow vegetables in the cool weather of early spring, early fall or winter.

3. Figure out how much growing space you have and plant accordingly. Lettuce, for example, can be grown in a solid mat, but tomatoes need to be spaced about 2 feet (60 cm) apart. Give pumpkins at least 4 feet (120 cm) of growing room. Growing requirements are provided on seed packets, in catalogs, and on nursery tags, as well as in books on growing vegetables.

4. Choose crops that require less room if you have a small vegetable garden or grow vegetables in a container. Lettuce is a great pot plant, and ‘Patio’ or ‘Tumbler’ tomatoes will grow well in a hanging basket. Plants that climb and vine, such as cucumbers and pole beans, can be trained up a trellis to take up less room horizontally. Tuck herbs and parsley into flower beds.

5. Schedule plantings around the two main growing seasons which vary by region: cool (spring and fall) and warm (summer). Common cool-season vegetables include beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach and turnips. Warm-season crops include beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, peppers, pumpkins, squash and tomatoes.

6. Sow some seeds directly in the ground as they grow best that way: beans, beets, carrots, chard, corn, lettuce, melons, peas, pumpkins, squash and turnips. Starting seeds is, of course, much less expensive than planting seedlings sold in flats, packs and pots.

7. Start with nursery seedlings of certain other crops unless you are an experienced vegetable grower. These plants tend to do better when set out in the garden as seedlings: eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Squash and cucumbers are among a few you can plant just as effectively as either seeds or seedlings.

8. Buy seeds at nurseries or by mail order starting just after the New Year, when the selection is freshest. Look for seed packets marked as having been packed for the current year.

9. Buy vegetables online and from mail-order seed companies for a far greater selection than you’ll find at neighborhood nurseries. Burpee (burpee.com), Johnny’s Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds .com), Park Seed Company (parkseed.com) and Thompson and Morgan (thompson-morgan.com) are a few long-established sources.

10. Shop for seedlings when your soil is prepared and you are ready to plant. Keep them moist and don’t let them sit around for more than three days. Buy healthy and vigorous seedlings. They should stand up straight and be stocky, not lanky, with no yellow leaves or bug holes.

11. Save money and get truly involved with your garden by starting seeds indoors in winter and transplanting them into the garden in spring. It’s simplest to start with complete kits, sold at garden centers and through catalogs, containing fluorescent lights, soil mix, containers and watering devices.

12. Sow seeds of colorful radishes or giant sunflowers to introduce children to the satisfaction and fun of growing their own food. Or lean 3 stakes together, tie them together at the top, and train pole beans up the stakes. Voila! A bean teepee.

Single-Family – 6 Ashmore Road Worcester, MA 01602 now has a new price!

Mary Stolarczyk — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:00:23 +0000

Fabulous location for this classic colonial. Updated kitchen with corian counters*Bosch SS dishwasher and washer/dryer included*Heated floor in eating area*Gorgeous hardwoods throughout*Master suite with sitting area and walk-in closet*Third floor teen suite or guest room*Fireplaced living room with canvas ceiling*Huge fenced yard and deck with electric awning. Garage conveniently equipped with electricity and 30amp service under deck for boat or RV. Exterior painted 2010.

This is a Colonial style home and features 9 total rooms, 2 full baths, 1 half bath, 4 bedrooms, 0.39 Acres, and is currently available for $309,999.

For complete details click here.

Rental – 36 Elm Street Worcester, MA 01609 is now new to the market!

Mary Stolarczyk — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:00:19 +0000

This property features 4 total rooms, 1 full bath, 1 bedroom, and is currently available for $1,200.

For complete details click here.

Land – Lot 2 Glover Road Millbury, MA 01527 now has a new price!

Mary Stolarczyk — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:00:14 +0000

Property has been previously engineered for a four bedroom home with private septic and well. The plans have expired. Pretty lot across from sleeping farm. Has a country feel but close to Routes 20, 146, 290 and 395. Come take a look and make us an offer.

This property features 2.00 Acres, and is currently available for $79,000.

For complete details click here.

Tax Tips for Newbies

Mary Stolarczyk — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:00:27 +0000

Tax season is upon us and it can be quite nerve wracking for many people. If you are new to filing taxes or have little experience, this article by Rachel Louise Ensign of The Wall Street Journal will help you get started with the process.

Though young adults generally have relatively simple returns, they’re prone to making big mistakes that can cost them. But help is available from tax preparers and tax-preparation software — often free or for a small fee — though experts say they come with limitations. First thing, novice tax filers need to understand the basics of the tax system, says G. Scott Haislet, a certified public accountant and tax attorney in Lafayette, Calif. He suggests starting with Internal Revenue Service Publication 17, the 2011 tax guide for individuals, and the instructions to Form 1040.

You’re essentially filing a report of all taxable income for the year, along with deductions, credits and other breaks you may be entitled to claim. (Some of the trickiest questions involve figuring out what’s taxable and what isn’t. When in doubt, check with a reliable tax pro.) Most taxpayers qualify for a federal income-tax refund because the amount of taxes they paid for the prior year exceeded what they actually owed.

You’ll need documentation of your income and anything that qualifies for a deduction, which reduces your taxable income, or a credit, which reduces your tax burden. These documents, typically sent via mail, are often missed by young filers used to doing everything electronically, says Elaine Smith, a master tax adviser at H&R Block.

Make sure your bank, employer and student-loan servicer have your current address.

Young people tend to switch jobs within a year or hold a few part-time gigs at once. So make sure you have either a W-2 or 1099 form from each employer.

If you earned more than $10 in interest from a savings account or certificate of deposit, you will receive a 1099-INT form from your bank.

When filing federal returns, many younger workers qualify for the easiest and free options. (Many services charge extra to file a state return.)

If your adjusted gross income (earnings minus certain deductions) is below $57,000, you can file your federal return electronically for free under the IRS’ Free File program, using software from tax-preparation services like TurboTax and H&R Block. (Additional income and residency restrictions apply.) H&R Block also offers free in-store tax-prep services for people filing a 1040EZ form — those who have less than $100,000 in taxable income.

People earning more than $57,000 can still use some of the features of Free File. In addition, some program providers, including TurboTax, offer free or cheap preparation through their sites, though there may be income limits. But you’ll need to have a relatively simple return to be eligible.

Younger workers typically don’t have enough deductions — say, mortgage interest — to itemize, so they take the standard deduction. For 2011, the standard deduction amount is $5,800 for singles and married people filing separately; its $11,600 for married couples filing joint returns.

But even those taking the standard deduction can take advantage of some additional deductions and credits, though they’ll need to file a 1040 form, not 1040EZ.

You can deduct up to $2,500 in student-loan interest. There are also tax breaks for both graduate and undergraduate students, but they can be complex. For details, go to the IRS site and type “tax benefits for education” in the search box. Also see IRS Publication 970.

Secondary and elementary educators can deduct up to $250 of school supplies they purchased out-of-pocket. You must have worked at least 900 hours in a school year and you’ll need receipts. See IRS Topic 458 for more information.

Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early?

Mary Stolarczyk — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:00:27 +0000

Paying off your mortgage early and having no bills sounds like a no brainer. The answer however is not so simple. The answer really is; it depends.

First you need to ask yourself a few questions.

1. Have you capitalized your employer’s match to your retirement savings?

If the answer is no and you are not contributing the maximum than you are throwing away free money. You may want to consider putting your money here before paying down your mortgage.

2. Do you have other debt other than your mortgage?

Pay off high interest credit card debit first. It makes no sense to pay off a lower interest loan and carry high interest debt.

3. Do you have an emergency fund?

Experts suggest at least a three month supply of living expenses. Some even go as much as twenty four months of living expenses after the turn in the economy and job market. It makes more sense to have money set aside for a sudden loss of income before you
pay off your mortgage.

4. Do you owe more than your house is worth?

If you are upside down you are more susceptible to foreclosure. Ask yourself how much how much you enjoy living there. Would you be willing to buy it again for more than it is worth now?

5. Do you have life, health and disability insurance?

If you are the main source of income in your household what would happen if you were no longer able to make the payments? Putting safety nets in place first is a wise idea.

6. Do you believe you can get better return investing elsewhere?

Paying off your mortgage is an investment decision. Ask how does paying off my mortgage stack up with other investment options?

7. Are you thinking of retiring and want to live with the worry of a payment?

The thought of living on a fixed income can be scary. Paying off your mortgage may give you peace of mind. There is no right or wrong answer to this question. It really comes down to what is most important to you. Sometimes, the answer is not based just on dollars and sense and more on what works for you, your life, your family situation and just plain old personal preference.