Highest home sale in 2021

The highest price paid for a single-family home in Franklin during 2021 was $1,677,900. While decidedly small potatoes in many of the affluent communities throughout Greater Boston, it was the highest price ever paid for a home in Franklin listed on MLS-PIN.

Before 2021, Franklin’s record-high sale price on MLS-PIN was $1,577,000, which was set in 2020.

Franklin’s sale price record broken five times in 2021

What’s most noteworthy about 2021’s housing market in Franklin is that the town’s record-high sale price set in 2020 was surpassed FIVE times just one year later in 2021!

Each of the top-five home sales in Franklin for 2021 surpassed the town’s prior all-time high home sale price of $1,577,000 recorded in 2020. That says a lot about the direction of home values in town during 2021!

Median home sale price at an all-time high

Overall home prices in Franklin, MA rose strongly during 2021, in tandem with the high end of the sales spectrum.

The median single-family home sale price for Franklin reached a record high of $597,500. It was the second year in a row Franklin’s median sale price hit a record.

Sales were extremely brisk, with the average days-on-market at a very low thirteen days before an offer was accepted.

Annual sales volume recovers from 2020 COVID shut-down

The number of single-family home sales in Franklin recorded on MLS-PIN during 2021 was significantly higher than the previous year’s total.

2020’s sales downdraft can best be attributed to the economic and societal disruptions caused by the onset of the pandemic and the ensuing shutdown. These uncertainties suppressed the number of home sellers willing to put their properties on the market in 2020.

Extremely low supply of homes for sale

The robust home sales volume in Franklin in 2021 is all the more remarkable given the exceedingly low housing inventory the town experienced throughout the year.

The housing supply in Franklin has been exceptionally restricted for years. Four months of inventory is considered a sellers’ market in normal times. The fact that Franklin, Massachusetts currently has a scant one-third of a month of housing supply shows just how hard it is to find a home to buy in town! 2021 was a wonderful time to be a home seller in Franklin!

The outlook for 2022

The market for homes in Franklin in the year ahead will be greatly influenced by the direction of mortgage interest rates. There is a general expectation that rates will move higher in 2022.

While no one can predict the future with certainty, most experts expect that affordability will remain a major issue and that housing inventory will remain tight as 2022 gets underway. The expectation that mortgage rates will rise as 2022 progresses means that prospective home buyers may want to act soon to lock in an affordable interest rate . . . before borrowing costs climb significantly. Waiting to buy could mean paying more per month for your home if mortgage rates rise as expected later in the year.

For prospective home sellers, experts forecast that demand for housing will continue to outpace available supply, so long as mortgage rates remain at their current rock bottom levels. While this is generally good news for sellers because it means less competition, a combination of high prices and rising interest rates later in 2022 should narrow the pool of potential buyers who can afford to buy your home. The emphasis for home sellers in 2022 should be on selling your home earlier, rather than later, in the year. As soon as practicable in the new year, you should hire a real estate agent who utilizes technologically-advanced marketing tactics to reach qualified buyers and get your home on the market.

If you think you may be ready to buy or sell, give us a call at 508-561-6259 or use the contact form below. As local market experts, we can fill you in on any issues impacting your move and create a custom plan to help you meet your real estate goals.

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Bigger and better than ever

Held under sunlit blue skies on October 2, the 2021 edition of the Harvest Festival was a big success.

As noted in the above poster for the event, 160 booths were scheduled to be set-up by local businesses. There were noticeably more booths than previous years. The 2021 Harvest Festival was spread over a wider area of the downtown area of Franklin than recent past Festivals.

For example, the owners of Grove Street Auto Repair noted that this was the first time they had a booth at the event.

Meanwhile, the good people at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Commonwealth got creative.

They had Cinderella at their booth with her castle, available for photos with the youngsters.

And the honeycomb available at the Franklin Honey Company was truly delicious!

Video of the Harvest Festival

Here’s a short video of the 2021 Harvest Festival in Franklin, MA.

You can learn more about Franklin, MA here.

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The 2021 Celebration runs from June 30 through July 4.

Videos of past 4th of July Celebrations

The videos above give you the sights and sounds of past Celebrations. For 2021, there will be no fireworks. (The uncertainties of the pandemic made planning for fireworks this year impossible, according to the Franklin July 4th Coalition.)

There will be a Blues music festival throughout the day on Saturday, July 2.

You can see the full schedule of events here.

Learn more about Franklin’s 4th of July Celebration here.

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Are you a mother in the I-495 region of Massachusetts looking for support, companionship, or perhaps just some good ideas to help you raise your family while you pursue your career or educational goals?   There’s help close by!

WorkingMom Social Club (WMSC) is a Massachusetts non-profit dedicated to assisting and sustaining mothers and is ready to help you!

Emotional and practical support you can trust

You’ll find a lot of advice online, but how do you know what to trust?  And an online forum does little to provide companionship for parents who feel isolated or overwhelmed juggling childcare, work, and the pandemic.

That’s where being able to connect on an ongoing basis with local women dealing with the same child-rearing and life challenges you face can make a real difference! And you get a chance to socialize your young ones with other children and have some fun for yourself as well. (During the pandemic, WMSC’s playtime get-togethers have been, by necessity, limited.)

Educated professionals here to help you

The women who run WMSC are a high-powered group with diverse backgrounds and professions.

They know what it’s like to care for kids while dealing with work and all of life’s problems – especially in light of the hardship and uncertainty so many are experiencing due to the pandemic.

Events and activities

By focusing on families living in any of the communities in the I-495 area roughly between Milford and Taunton, WMSC seeks to make sure their get-togethers are physically accessible to all members.

You can learn more about WMSC’s activities here. (Note that, during the pandemic, WMSC has shifted most of its events to a virtual format like much of the rest of the world. The plan is to resume in-person events as social distancing restrictions ease.)

Joining WMSC

If you are interested in becoming a member of WMSC, you can join the club using the link at left or embedded in the image below.

If you have questions, please contact WMSC at:

workingmomsocialclub@gmail.com

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Elves seek donations of money instead of food items

This year, the Franklin Food Elves ask that you make cash donations. You can follow the hotlink in the image below to donate now.

In past annual food drives, the school-aged Elves focused their collection efforts on physically collecting nonperishable food items. But due to COVID-19 concerns, online giving is the safest method for supporting this very timely charity drive. (You may also have an opportunity to donate via personal check left outside your front door for Elf pick-up. Look for a purple envelope left at your house by your neighborhood Elf in coming days.)

Donations support the Franklin Food Pantry

All donations to the Food Elves benefit the Franklin Food Pantry.

The Food Panty’s website provides a compelling description of their service to the Franklin community:

The Franklin Food Pantry offers supplemental food assistance and household necessities to over 1,400 individuals. As a nonprofit organization, the Pantry depends entirely on donations, and receives no town or state funding. Between June 2019 and July 2020, 287,691, pounds of food was provided to clients. Other programs include the Weekend Backpack Program, Carts for Clients, Mobile Pantry, and holiday meal packages.

Significant increase in need for services

The Food Pantry reports a large increase in people seeking help over the last twelve months.

The increase in demand for food support very likely stems from the ongoing financial distress caused by the pandemic. As COVID-19 infection rates soar across the country as we approach the Holidays, food insecurity seems to be spreading and intensifying. So please donate to the Franklin Food Elves. These are very uncertain times for so many. Help from those who are in a position to provide it is needed!

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What you can donate

The drive will accept bicycles that are usable as is, or which could do with repairs or refurbishment, and even bikes that are good only for parts. Just no rust, please!

Eagle Scout project

The bike drive is being held by Franklin High School senior Alex Gardenier, who is an Eagle Scout candidate with Boy Scout Troop 99. He is conducting the bike drive to benefit the charitable organization Bikes Not Bombs.

Pick-up service

Can’t get your bikes to the drop-off area at 275 Beaver St on October 24? No problem! Alex is offering a donation pick-up service – he’ll come to you! Just email him at:

FranklinBikeDrive@gmail.com

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Where to park and access Riverbend

In terms of getting to Riverbend, the good news is that there is ample parking for vehicles.  The bad news is that, as of this writing, there is no sign on Lincoln Street marking the location of Riverbend’s vehicle entrance point.

To find the entrance to Riverbend, look for the large metal electric utility towers and the Fairmount Fruit Farm property at 887 Lincoln Street.  The Riverbend access drive is on Lincoln Street, opposite from where the landscaping and mulch operations at the Farm are sited. The parking area itself is easy to find; just proceed along the access drive. There is an information kiosk at the trailhead (although it lacked any notices at the time of a recent visit to the site).

Trail map

Tap/click on the hotlink at right or in the image below to download the trail map for the Riverbend Hiking Trails in Franklin, MA.

Over a mile of trails currently exist at Riverbend. An additional half-mile of additional trails are proposed. (See the dotted lines in the above map.)  The new trails would open over a fifteen hundred foot stretch of the Charles’ riverbank to hikers, affording much better views of the water and wildlife. The opportunity to fish or launch canoes/kayaks from the riverbank seems feasible. (Based on tire marks visible on the existing trails, it appears that mountain bikes and/or off-road motorcycles are currently being used at Riverbend.)

Steep descent to river

Part of the proposed trails include a switch-back descending the steep gradient down to the riverbank. 

The switchback would be a very helpful improvement over the fairly sharp decline to the Charles River that the current trail entails.  (This decent is deceptively steep, so take care walking down the current access trail to the riverbank.)

Video of the Riverbank Hiking Trails

Below is a short video taken during a recent visit to Riverbend:

Views of the Charles River

There is only a limited section of riverbank currently accessible by the existing trail.

Because of the dam downstream at the Sanford Mill condo complex, the river is languid and peaceful.

Cutting through the woods heading east along the shoreline does lead to another open stretch of riverbank.

This section of the riverbank provides a view of the “Swimming Rock” mentioned in publications issued by the Town of Medway concerning Medway’s Amphitheater Trail.

Medway’s Amphitheater property is directly across the Charles from the Riverbend parcel.

Condition of the trails at Riverbend

Riverbend’s existing trails sometime have the look and feel of a work in progress. Some of the trails are broad and well-delineated. Other sections of trail can be hard to discern. (That’s when the trail map comes in handy.)

You get to walk through fragrant pine woods and see old stone walls. Some small areas of the trail were muddy during a recent visit. In planning your visit to Riverbend, insect repellent is a good accessory to pack!

Franklin’s other trail and open-space resources

Given its potential to create opportunities for recreational access to the Charles River, the Riverbend property is a strategic addition to Franklin, Massachusetts’ wonderful array of outdoor recreational resources. Franklin’s investments in open space pays significant dividends in terms of the superb lifestyle town residents enjoy. This is just one of the many reasons to buy a home in Franklin, MA!

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In all of the Safest Cities reports published annually since 2012, Franklin has ranked no lower than eighth safest.  In the nine years of its Safest City reporting, NeighborhoodScout named Franklin the safest city in the nation twice and the second-safest for another two years.

Franklin has never been ranked lower than eighth-safest in the nation and joins only one other US city (Bergenfield, NJ) to rank in the top ten safest in every Safest Cities report issued by NeighborhoodScout.  That’s quite an achievement!

So anyone looking to buy a home in a safe place in which to live in Massachusetts should give Franklin careful consideration! Learn more about Franklin, MA here.

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The Franklin Town Common and beautiful Franklin High as well as elementary and middle schools are all just down the street!

3D virtual tour

Use the innovative 3D tour to have a virtual showing of this fine home asking $460,000:

If you’d like to physically tour 363 Oak Street or have questions contact listing agent Warren Reynolds or call/text him at 508-561-6259.

Large center isle kitchen

The tile entry foyer leads to the spacious eat-in kitchen with solid surface counters, tile backsplash, recessed lights and center isle. 

Fireplaced family room

The kitchen opens a pleasant family room with an attractive floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace.

Spectacular screened porch

A slider in the the eat-in area of the kitchen leads to a wonderful screened porch.

The screened porch is a prized feature in homes in New England. it allows you to enjoy the long summer evenings free of insects. And the cool fall afternoons are a delight! There’s a cement patio for grilling.

The rear yard is level and enhanced by mature trees and greenery.

Features that enhance entertaining and your quality of life

The front-to-back living and family rooms create open space for entertaining and family time.

 And the attached two car garage and first floor laundry are lifestyle enhancers!

Second floor allows you to work from home with ease

The second floor accommodates either four bedrooms or can be kept as three bedrooms with a very handy private home office annex adjoining the master bedroom. Great layout for a home office with privacy!

The master bedroom has double closets and a full bath with shower.

Spacious bedrooms and 2nd full bath

The other bedrooms on the second floor are large and bright. And the second full bath on the upper level is large enough to accommodate a family with ease.

Learn more about what this home has to offer

The roof was new in 2015 and the hot water heater was replaced in 2019. The home has town water and sewer service. Follow the hotlinks to learn about the Oak Street Elementary School and Horace Mann Middle School. If you’d like to physically tour 363 Oak Street or have questions contact listing agent Warren Reynolds or call/text him at 508-561-6259.

Big Y positions itself as “giving you the tools to live the life you deserve”. Quality foods and better nutrition are what this grocery chain offers.

Big Y
348 East Central Street
Franklin, MA 02038
(508) 553-8705
https://www.bigy.com/