Over lunch with my husband today, I subtly mentioned to him that the credit card bill next month might be a bit higher than usual. Instead of being disgruntled, the way he can be when I don't forewarn him, he said "thank you for letting me know". I was glad to have gotten that piece of news off of my chest, but I am still feeling a bit [...]

Local, Northampton MA, finance writer, Ilana Polyak, recently wrote the following article for CNBC.com, and interviewed our very own co-owner/manager of Maple and Main Realty LLC, Julie Held.

Buying and selling a home: What you need to know

There have been rumblings for years from the Federal Reserve that interest rates are going to rise. [...]

Having moved into our new home just over a year ago, we are finally getting close to feeling "moved in" to our new space. We downsized by 30% from our previous house in, and we sold, or gave away a large amount of our belongings before moving into this new home. Our goal is to live in an uncluttered space from here on out. It turns out this [...]

It's hard to pinpoint the moment at which your newly renovated kitchen or bath starts to feel and look dated. As the months and years go by, something shifts. Is it that the paint has faded? Is it that the white square tile just isn't as timeless a choice as white subway tile would have been? Are you wishing you had chosen oil-rubbed bronze [...]

When we pulled up the old linoleum kitchen floor in our last house in Northampton - we were excited to see fir floors beneath, just waiting to be brought back to life. I had my heart set on red floors - somewhere between the color of cherries and blood. I went to many paint and hardware stores in the [...]

I have to say, when we moved from a 1/2 acre plot of land in downtown Northampton, MA to a 1/4 acre parcel in Florence, MA - I assumed we would have no more fall clean up to speak of. At our last house, we were practically knee deep in pine needles, carpeting the lawn and burrowing in between the shrubs and plant. The energy we expended on [...]

Many Pioneer Valley homeowners, realtors and citizens have been contemplating whether the installation of the proposed Tennessee Gas Pipeline Northeast will affect property values in the Northampton area. While the following article from the Daily Hampshire Gazette is inconclusive, it does seem to suggest that there may both safety issues [...]

Fall is upon us, and our listing at 43 Fair Street is still available, much to our surprise! This lovingly renovated 1756 sf, 3 bedroom, 2 bath farmhouse sits on a 1/2 acre lot, abutting the fairgrounds in downtown Northampton. It has been renovated top to bottom, inside and out by the previous owners, and maintained and improved upon by [...]

Those of you who have read my blog posts in the past, know that I am a big fan of the Apartment Therapy blog. Although the overall slant of the blog is about how to use limited space in a clever, tasteful and design-lover-worthy way (such as in apartment living) - I find there are many posts which are relevant to life in single family home [...]

68 Pine Grove is a lovely 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath condominium in the Ice Ponds Woods condomium association in South Amherst, MA. This condo complex is in a bucolic setting - wooded and private, and abutting conservation land such as Wentworth Farm. 

The owners of this condo have made many updates, including:

- New kitchen, including quartz counters, high end stainless appliances, tile backsplash, new sink and [...]