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Welcome to the November issue of my monthly newsletter! If you are new here (I love that there were a lot of signups over the past month!), the concept is that I really like to write, and I have always enjoyed connecting with people and local organizations – there are so many resources and so much information to share!
At the beginning of 2023, I decided to get back to writing, which is something Jay and I did when we published our local online newsletter called Westminster Community Vine, back in 2009 - 2012. We made so many friends doing that, and became a trusted resource for local information.
This new newsletter is published once a month on the first Thursday/Friday of each month, which is not a huge impact on your email inbox.
What do we write about? Always legit local content, there’s no artificial intelligence here! I’ve been told it’s ‘a fun read’ and many people appreciate it as a local resource.
How do we decide what to write about? It’s whatever comes to me, plus I always include a state of the local real estate market, because getting your real estate news information as a snapshot of the entire country is NOT going to tell you what it's like in Central Massachusetts.
When I say 'we' in any of my stories, a lot of credit goes to Jay for giving me starter bullet points on what to write about, sometimes fully writing stories (like this month's adventure we had fighting Pantry Moths in our house), proofreading and general moral support, because whenever I get feedback from someone who reads the newsletter, I always say 'that thing does NOT write itself!'
I also like to put together what I call Resource Stories, which are continually updated. Some are seasonal, like our Central Mass Farmers Markets and Town Wide Yard Sales stories, as well as this month’s Holiday House Tours (I love a good house tour!).
Other Resource Stories are ‘timeless’ like this month’s Locally Owned Restaurants in Central Mass story. You can go back to the story anytime by bookmarking it or visiting the NEWSLETTER page on my website, and read and keep reading for as long as you have time.
If you like what you read, please share with your family, friends and neighbors who might like it.
If someone shared this with you, click here to subscribe to get it delivered directly to you!
If you have a story idea, send it along.
Did you have a great experience with a local contractor, tradesperson, etc.? Send me their contact information and details of your experience. I’m not out to be the Better Business Bureau, just looking for positive recommendations for local tradespeople and house related professionals.
Need a recommendation? I put together a list of house-related tradespeople and service provider recommendations on my website. All have come from my own personal experience or recommended by multiple people. I'm always happy to add additional categories and highly recommended tradespeople.
Keep reading for reader feedback on a local plumbing company and drywall and plastering company.
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We finally got rid of our carpenter bees, but it wasn’t easy or cheap. The non-invasive way to get rid of these bees are these cute little houses you hang around the outside of the real house, and the bees see them, move in, and drown. We bought a number of them. The only problem with these traps is that they don’t work at all. That left us with having to call a real exterminator. They said they could get rid of them for $700, which was quite steep, but we figured that it was cheaper than having our house and barn chewed apart. READ MORE
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My first several jobs were in local restaurants--(in order from 'fancy' to 'not fancy'), The Fox Run and The King Phillip (in Phillipston), Lee's Hot Dog Stand and the Ice Cream Truck at Lake Dennison (in Templeton), and I'm not even counting my brief stint in the kitchen at Baldwinville Nursing Home.
I'm assembling a list of locally owned restaurants in Central Massachusetts, and it's a work in progress. I haven't even gotten to the W's, which means I haven't listed anything yet in Worcester.
Pictured here is my favorite meal and my favorite wine, at one of my top favorite restaurants. Before you judge the spend, I turned 50 during Covid when there was no going out, so two years later for our 25th wedding anniversary, we splurged. :) Check out my list and send me a message if I missed any of your favorite locally owned Central Mass Restaurants. READ MORE
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Our next door neighbors, Hannah, Peter, and Joey of Rattle Root Farm, have completed their first year of operation as Princeton’s organic CSA farm, and what a year it’s been to do anything outside, much less start an organic farm in New England, where the main crop is often rocks. We have enthusiastically signed up for a share in next year's Rattle Root Farm CSA. READ MORE
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Have you heard that the Thomas Prince Middle School in Princeton, was recently ranked the #1 middle school in Massachusetts? This ranking was published by U.S. News & World Report, a very reputable source of school rankings in the US. Note that the Thomas Prince School is a K-8 public school, but the rankings split K-8 schools in to categories identified separately by their elementary and middle school grades. READ MORE
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Sneak Peek at an Upcoming Listing: Potential 2-family home on 15 acres in Fitchburg!
I've been working with the sellers on this one for a few months...researching, donating, preparing, and working alongside the seller's cleanout crew to get this 3,000+ square foot home ready for the public eye. We are in the home stretch with the cleaner coming next week, interior photos, then listing. This is a really cool home on a beautiful lot. The ideal buyer would be someone who would buy the property now to either update the home to rent or move in, and investigate the possibilities of the additional land, which has an access point nowhere near the house, so the serene surroundings of the house itself could remain untouched. There are SO many details on this one. I'm happy to share. Message me for maps, floor plans and more information! More information, please!
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Coming up with the right listing price really is an art. The listing price should be a reasonable price, so as to attract the most buyers to open houses, and to generate excitement about the property. The listing price is not what you would hope to get for the property, but rather is a price that the home might go for in a real estate market that is completely in balance between buyers and sellers (which is rare).
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I love holiday house tours…touring nice houses, admiring their decor and getting ideas for projects I may or may not ever end up doing at my own house! I love these tours so much that in 2018, almost two years since we moved in to our house, I signed up to have our house be on a charity house tour in Princeton. The charitable organization was called Hearts for Heat, and they provided home heating oil to people in need. Nice. I signed us up to be on the tour, in large part, because I needed a kick in the butt to finally unpack and go through everything we moved in here at the end of 2016, but were in varying stages of unpacking. TRUST ME, this is not the best way to accomplish a goal, I now know. READ MORE
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Raul's crew was fantastic! We had them in to install a Ring Doorbell, Floodlights and Cameras. Adam and Kyle were on time, communicated well, efficient in the time spent on the job and explained clearly how to get the Ring app set up with multiple devices. Bonus, they helped figure out what was wrong with our stove and were able to discuss potential future projects at a professional level. By the time they left, everything was working great! *Adorable seeing the dogs walk up to the front door~~I don't know why I waited this long to do this. Highly recommend Batallas Electric! READ MORE
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Board members of the Ashburnham Westminster Foundation for Academic Excellence were thrilled to learn that the annual Music For Life Rock ‘N Run 5k and concert raised $8,500 to be donated to the foundation! 2023 Rock n' Run Sponsors include Aubuchon Hardware, Wachusett Brewing Company, Scotts, Orgill, Polar Beverages and The Aubuchon Foundation. READ MORE
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A Night for Excellence is the Ashburnham Westminster Foundation for Academic Excellence annual fundraising event. Each year parents, faculty, staff, and the community gather for a evening of hors d’oeuvres, drinks, live music, and a buffet dinner. We hold three auctions during the event, all with amazing items kindly donated to us: Raffles, a Silent auction and a Live auction. Our entertaining Live auction sees members of the community vying for hot-ticket items like sporting event tickets, vacation home rentals, and other once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. All are invited to socialize while supporting academic excellence in our schools. We always look forward to seeing you. Tickets are available now, $75 per person, or reserve a table for $750. READ MORE
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I recently went to the wake and celebration of life for a longtime pal of mine from Westminster, Stanley Skamarycz. When I saw that Stan died, my legitimate immediate reaction was that I just assumed he would live forever. This photo above of Stan and I was taken at Westminster's 250th Anniversary Celebration New Years Eve Bash at Wachusett Mountain 15 years ago. Stan’s celebration of life was a party, and the whole time I was there, I thought Stan would LOVE this–he would be cruising from table to table with his booming charismatic voice, telling stories and expressing his opinions. The event was held at the Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, where Stan, in one of his many career choices, worked in their ambassador program. READ MORE
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"Jen was fantastic. I was tasked with selling a home while living 3000 miles away and Jen was knowledgeable and sensitive to all that entailed. I trusted Jen and her process, and was so satisfied with the results!"
--Amanda, Los Angeles CA
"Because of her expertise and success in helping us to sell our first home, we contracted with Jen a second time. She came through once again with flying colors. She is efficient and knows what works. She has a handle on the market and on how to showcase a home. Both times she succeeded helping us to reach our sale goals. We highly recommend her services!"
— Patty and John, Gardner
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 | SOLD: 112 Dunn Road, Ashburnham! 🎉 SOLD, 112 Dunn Road, Ashburnham! When I was writing a thank you note to the sellers of this home, in appreciation for them working with me, I looked at my old emails to figure out how long we’ve been working together--and the answer is THREE YEARS. When we first met, there was market uncertainty. They wanted to get a head start on preparing their home of 38 years to be the best it could possibly be. Their home was modular construction and they had worked with Moulton Construction in Ashburnham back in 1983, and were building with them again on the design and construction of their retirement home project now. Covid being Covid, there were modular factory issues, supply chain issues, transportation issues, and months turned in to years. They thought about listing at the height of the market and finding temporary housing. I am SO glad we dodged a bullet on that, because it turned out that their septic system needed to be replaced. The sellers bought in to the concept of staging their existing home before photos, and we worked closely with my awesome stager Bonnie Garceau of Harmony in your Home Staging to really elevate the experience of the listing and sale process. I clearly remember the day that we all got together and staged their home, using a majority of their own items and a few things they rented from Bonnie. One of the sellers said "I'm so glad we had two years to prepare for the last two months of getting ready to sell!" It was a lot of work, but it was a successful transaction all around! | |
Are you thinking about a New Construction home? Possibly interested in a home similar to one of the New Construction homes I've listed in the past? Are you just starting to look at floor plans? Do you already own land and just need a site guy, or is your project shovel ready with plans in place? Let's brainstorm! *Photos above are of 115 Damon Road in Fitchburg, built by The Normandin Group. We also have upcoming sites in other local towns. Contact me for more info! READ MORE | |
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Did one of our readers share this newsletter with you? Sign up to get your own copy, delivered directly to your email, just once a month. I'm not here to spam you, I just want to provide meaningful content and connect people with businesses, charities and people who might be helpful to them. | |
I'm holding myself accountable to send one newsletter a month. Understanding the real estate market moves much quicker than that, I'm always available for you to ASK ME ANYTHING ABOUT REAL ESTATE, just call/text, respond to this email or live chat me on my website at jenshenk.com.
-- Jen
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I put together a list of house related tradespeople and service provider recommendations on my website. All have come from my own personal experience or recommended by multiple people. I'm always happy to add additional categories and highly recommended tradespeople.
PLEASE SHARE YOUR FAVORITE TRADESPEOPLE
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Follow me on these social media platforms to see the latest real estate activity!
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I can help with that! I'm frequently asked to play matchmaker for BUYERS and SELLERS seeking Realtors in other parts of the country. This is very easy for me to do~~and I'm happy to be YOUR REAL ESTATE RESOURCE anywhere in the U.S.
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Jennifer Shenk
Realtor, Notary Public
Keller Williams Realty North Central
107 Main Street, Westminster, MA
Call/Text: 978 870 9260
Email: jennifershenk@kw.com
Contact Form
WWW.JENSHENK.COM
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PUT OUR TOP CENTRAL MASS TEAM TO WORK FOR YOU! | |
Jenifer Shenk and Team
2022 RESULTS
#1 Team at Keller Williams Realty North Central
Listings Sold Volume
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Sales Volume
Units Sold
Buyer Specialist (Lisa Saulnier)
#5 Team in Keller Williams New England Region
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#8 in Keller Williams New England Region
Total Sales Volume
#9 Team in Keller Williams New England Region
Buyer Transactions (Lisa Saulnier)
Keller Williams International
Luxury Agent
Platinum Producer
North Central Massachusetts Association of Realtors
Diamond Top Producer
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