Karen's Ocean State Blog

Sometimes you really can get a great deal on a house!

As an NLB (Neighborhood Listing Broker) for HUD, Stonehurst Realty is proud to announce our very latest HUD listing!

This lovely home features 4 bedrooms, two and 1/2 baths, a full walkout finished basement with sliders and a brick fireplace.

A Master suite and a workshop, Central air are all included!

 An Integral two car garage and over 12,000 square feet of  fenced yard in a very well maintained neighborhood located in the Cowesett section of West Warwick, make this home very appealing.

As in most HUD listings, there may be a little tlc, but most everything appears to be functional.

There will be an open house held by a Remax Broker on Sunday, August 21, 2011 between the hours of 1200pm to 230pm.

This home is listed at $200,000.

Stop by and see for yourself what HUD has to offer. If you don't see what you want, we have many others!

Are you thinking of living in Warwick Neck, Rhode Island?

Warwick, Rhode Island was settled in 1642. It was considered the first white settlement (meaning other than Indians) on the western side of the Narragansett Bay. Originally it was named Shawomet which means a spring, but then it was changed to Warwick, in honor of the Earl of Warwick.  Now, Warwick consists of many villages, one of which has an area called Shawomet, in Conimicut. As you may have guessed, most of Rhode Island names were originally Indian! The main tribe was the Cowesetts who were a part of the Narragansetts.

Warwick Neck is yet another village of Warwick, Rhode Island.  It looks like a very wide peninsula, surrounded on three sides by Narragansett Bay. On one side of the neck is home to Warwick Cove which consists of loads of marinas. By boat, coming into the Cove you can see the Warwick Neck Country Club where weddings are held. It has a private membership which includes dining, tennis, golf and much more and is by invitation and sponsor only. A little further up the Cove and still on Warwick Neck is the Seaview Country club sitting right behind Harbor Lights Marina.

The tip of Warwick Neck is the Warwick Neck lighthouse, which is currently occupied by a Coast Guard family. This website has a very good description of the history of the Lighthouse. Directly to the right of the Lighthouse is Briarcliffe Ave, a waterfront neighborhood, which ends with a farm, named Camelot!  There are still sheep being raised there and it sits on the Western side of the neck giving it incredible views of the Bay.

Maxwell Mays a famous Rhode Island artist had a home in Warwick Neck which was just recently on the market. I recently got to show one of my buyers this home, and as I love history and art, this was a definite high point for me. One could almost picture Mr. Mays painting here. He owned several homes throughout Rhode Island. I am guessing he used them as muses.

The Aldrich Mansion has a wonderful history. It is said that Nelson Aldrich was "kicked out" of Newport Rhode Island's well to do summer mansion colony and he built what was originally known as "Indian Oaks", now Aldrich Mansion. Weddings are held there now but it is famous for its beautiful marble staircase. There was also some type of Underground Railroad leading from the Great Tower at one time. One can see straight down Narragansett Bay, across to Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport and several bridges from the Mansion,

There are so many things to write about Warwick Neck, and Rocky Point Amusement Park, would have to be included, although it is closed now. It was one of the major attractions for years, but started out as a small camp site in the 1850's.

Warwick Neck has an ambiance that is hard to describe. It consists of many historical homes that have been in the family for generations and many newer luxury homes. The history of Warwick Neck lends to its charm and the affluent residents try to keep it as private as possible. This is where you want to live. It is not a place to ride around in, as every road leads to the water and is pretty much set up as private.

There are several homes on the market right now in Warwick Neck, but they do not stay on the market for long, even in this latest economy due to the exclusivity, and approximation to the Bay. The range starts at around $400,000 and waterfront is listed up to $3,000,000.

The other day I took a photo of a Stone home that I really like in Warwick Neck, because I always thought it would be a nice office space for Stonehurst Realty. Both photos came out with Rainbows so I could not use them in this post.

This home is now pending! Please call or email for others!

On first day of spring, we took a ride along Rhode Island's coast once again. I love going in the spring because we get to see so many beaches without all the summer crowds.

We decided to ride up to Misquamicut Beach and then lazily travel back torwards Charlestown, RI.

After riding by the Atlantic Beach Park and many closed for the winter cottages and neat little restaurants, we headed over to Weekapaug.  Watch Hill is just south of Weekapaug and we will take that trip on a warmer day.

If you ride by Spray Rock Road, (where this house is located) you come to a dirt road that takes you through a few private beaches. One is Shelter Harbor, Weekapaug Fire District, and the one I absolutely fell in love with, Quonoquonchaug Barrier Beach! 

I have been to many beaches in my lifetime and living on the Coast of Rhode Island enables me to always be watching the sea, which is my favorite thing to do:)  But, I have to say that this beach is the most perfect beach in Rhode Island. My husband was laughing at me as we walked along the waters edge and I kept exclaiming. "This is the perfect beach"! Even the stones are perfect, the smell, the air, the freedom, the emptiness"  I cannot even begin to bring you there.

Because it is a private beach, about the only time you would be able to see it is in the winter months, but you really should make it a priority!  Unless you are a resident or vacation renter, and you have a "button", you will not be allowed to park in the quaint little parking lot overlooking Quonoquonchaug Pond.

I picked up "the perfect stone" and took it home with me. What better way to celebrate the Spring Equinox after the Super Moon!  I promised to return the stone in 20 years, back to the most beautiful place I have ever been priviliged to be.

It's going to be tough to find another beach in RI to beat this one, but I am going to continue to blog about the beaches along the Rhode Island Coast.

If you think you would like to live in Weekapaug, the houses range from $400,000 to a few million. Most of the roads are private in Weekapaug, only to residents and guests. Many of the homes have the same families throughout generations and many of the rentals are similar in that respect.

If you are looking for the quintessential ocean neighborhood, then Weekapaug would be it.

Don't forget, I am also a Buyers Rep and can take you on a tour of any of these homes that are on the market if you should decide to come to Rhode Island and enjoy our Coastal heritage!

I wrote this blog for Ocean Home Magazine and it is also included on my Rhode Island Coast blog.

Okay, this is probably not the best photo of these pancakes, but the taste was incredible.

I was in kind of a funk this morning for several reasons.

It's a little too cold outside for my liking especially after last weekend's spring fever!

I had received a Broker Price Opinion returned due to lack of REO/distressed property comps. What? Isn't this a good thing? There was a time when we had to fight to use an REO comp!

I have to go back to an (almost on the market) REO listing for more information and I like to take Sundays off...ha ha...keep forgetting that I am a Realtor who does not take days off.

Anyway, these were all small irritants, but enough to make me a little snappy. I came into my office to read a few AR posts and I could smell this delicious breakfast being cooked.

I tried my best to ignore it because losing weight is also on my list of things to do, but it was no use. When hubby cooks breakfast, you don't want to miss it!

Back to the kitchen and waiting for me are these three pancakes.  Filled with pineapple, walnuts, cinnamon, bananas and chocolate chips!!!

So much for the diet, however, eating these totally turned my mood around!

Sometimes the right kind of food can feel like a vacation. Now I am ready to go to work:) (and start my diet on Monday:(

Nestled between some older style homes, this Contractor Built Contemporary is seeking someone to love it.

Centrally located for a quick trip to Boston, Providence's downtown, trains, busses, highways, you can see the City Lights at Night!

Interior boasts Jenn-Air applicances, sparkling hardwoods, granite counter tops. A bathroom on every floor, including the finished basement which has a walk out into the cozy fenced yard.

Kitchen and parlor both have sliding doors onto a full deck for parties or backyard BBQ's.

The laundry area is situated immediately outside the three bedrooms for your convenience. The entire home is alarmed and has Central Air.

You can enter the garage from inside the house which is a great convenience on those colder days.

This home is listed at $227,500 and is in absolute move in condition! No short sale or foreclosure, just a very well built home!

If you would like to see the interior after you watch the Virtual tour, give me a call.

Success stories are not always about the actual referral, but  sometimes about the friendships you make along the way.

Last year on February 25th I received a referral from Kristen Moran a Broker in San Antonio Texas.

She had a friend who had a friend who was a First time, Home buyer , looking for a home in Rhode Island.

I accepted and waited for the client to contact me.  When Jenny first called, she had already been pre-qualified with a bank so we set out looking at homes.

I felt that the interest rate the bank was going to charge her was a little high, so I referred her to a friend of mine at Rhode Island Housing and she got a much lower rate.  As time went by, Jenny put in offers on several homes.  One of the first homes that she loved was removed from the market the day after our offer!

We plugged on, and she got caught up in a Condo. We place an offer, was accepted by the Seller, but it was a short sale.  Long story short, 2 months later, it did not go through.  We kept moving on.

The she found another great home and we missed the Highest and best by $500!  Shortly after that she put in an offer on yet another home and AGAIN, this seller withdrew it from the market!!

Most people would have given up, but not Jenny!  I must have shown her over 80 homes! I usually have a binder for each client and Jennys' binder was very thick!! 

Also, I had gotten cat scratch fever just before I met Jenny and lost some of my eyesight so my husband had to drive me everywhere.  He was driving me all over Rhode Island with other buyers, but luckily they were able to find houses fairly quickly.   Jenny was starting to feel like family. Her mom always came with her and as time went by, the commission was not even a thought in my head! Gas alone had long since eaten that up!

This was a major Challenge for me! I was determined not to rest until we found the right house!!

Finally we found the perfect house! Put an offer in, seller countered, accepted, passed inspection, and we closed on February 25th, a year to the day!

I felt bad that we had missed the first time buyer credit, but Jenny says that this is the house for her and that is what matters!

I want to thank Kristen  for the referral and Jenny and her mom for being so patient!!

I am reblogging this for people in Rhode Island and Mass,  Tim Maitski sums it up wonderfully.

Pay special attention to all the posts he links to beneath the video!

I am reblogging this so that I can re feature it in the Newbie Group. AR Orientation works for everyone, whether you have been here for years or just joined!!