Things to Love About Beverly, Massachusetts

1. Great restaurants:
   
   
   • Brenden Crocker's Wild Horse. The dining room has great food as does the bar. They carry a great variety of beers on tap and have over twenty amazing martinis. There is great live music on Wednesday nights and there’s always a great crowd and a good vibe.
   
   
   • Tryst has outstanding food. It is very small, so you need to make a reservation but it is well worth it. The also have a fabulous wine list.
   
   
   • Kitty O'Sheas is a great Irish bar. They have traditional Irish food. They also are one of the only bars in the area to show European Soccer games on television. They also have live bands and a great deck located in the back for the summer time.
   
   
   • Tapas Corner is a great little restaurant off of Cabot Street. It is very small but they have great burritos and unique wraps as well. There is always interesting music and great conversation in Tapas.
   
   
   • One more is Mandrake on Cabot Street. They have amazing food and always a good crowd on the weekend nights.
   
   
   • Other specific restaurant recommendations include The Beverly Depot, Chianti, Harry's 57, and Siam Delight.
   
   
2. For outdoor fun, Lynch Park (official name David S. Lynch Memorial Park) is great. They have great outdoor concerts on Sunday nights during the summer. There are all sorts of activities and fun things for every age (kayaking is one example). The Rose Garden is one of the main attractions of Lynch Park. The Falconer statue is worth viewing as well.


3. The Beverly YMCA provides lots of activities for everyone. They have three locations through out Beverly including the McPherson Teen Center.


4. Montserrat College of Art has tons of galleries that are open to the public. Exhibits, galleries, and talks are free and open to the public. There is always something new and exciting going on at the College. Taking classes there is also very worthwhile.


5. The coast line of small beaches. Walking the dog on Brackenbury Beach is great too.


6. Beverly is a city with a small town feel. There is a diverse mix of people and neighborhoods.


7. Convenient location: Easy highway access and 3 train stations (for the commuter). You can also get to the mountains of New Hampshire, the coast of Maine, the city of Boston all within 2 hours.


8. Downtown Beverly with its variety of restaurants, coffee shops, gift shops, and art galleries.


9. The Farms Village with its boutiques and ”green grocery” small restaurants and coffee shops.


10. Cabot Cinema.


11. Concerts on the Beverly Common.


12. The Beverly Public Library.


13. The idea that whatever neighborhood a person lives or school their child attends, it is “the best.”


14. Large number of community playgrounds and ball fields.


15. Independence Park - one of the nicest ocean views on the North Shore.


16. St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic church is very beautiful inside.


17. The Cummings Center provides a large number of jobs and is home to many companies.


18. And of course, The OCEAN!!!!

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The following RE/MAX Advantage Real Estate agents contributed to this list:

Margaret Belmonte
Web Site: www.margaretbelmonte.com
Email: margaret@margaretbelmonte.com

Blaze Johnson
Web Site: www.blazerealestate.com
Email: blaze@blazerealestate.com

Tina McManus
Web Site: www.YourNorthShoreHome.com
Email: TinaMcManus@Remax.net

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RE/MAX Advantage Real Estate's Beverly, Massachusetts office:
100 Cummings Center Suite 104F
Beverly, MA 01915
978-927-9100

Thoughts on the current state of the real estate market on Massachusetts’ north shore from RE/MAX Advantage real estate agents

"I think there is more buyer inquiry in January 2007 than there was in January 2006. It seems as though sellers are beginning to adjust to a declined market in regards to pricing of new inventory. There is still an abundance of inventory on the market. Homes which have been on the market for 6 months or longer are now competing with new to the market properties. I think it is a more level playing field for buyers and sellers. It is still a great time to be a buyer and sellers must adjust to market changes in regards to price."

Margaret Belmonte
Web Site: www.margaretbelmonte.com
Email: margaret@margaretbelmonte.com
Phone: 978-927-2737

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"Based on the inventory currently on the market now, which is over 5,000 more homes as compared to last year at this time and with anticipation of an increase in property coming on the market for spring, I see no change in the direction of prices in our declining market. If interest rates go up, the price decline will be even deeper.

I see no change in this price direction until our inventory does a drastic decline and I see no signs of this happening in the near future. Therefore, pricing in this market is all important."

Pat Fenton
Web Site: www.patfenton.com
Email: pat@patfenton.com
Phone: 978-524-8717

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"Here is the latest on the streets of Beverly, MA as it pertains to single family housing with a price range between 260 and 460. The new year sparked a ton of interest with potential buyers looking to purchase a home in 2007. Potential buyers have increased dramatically with over 40 people at some of our open houses in a 2 hour window. This is positive for sellers, however the buyers can be patient and will make sure they are getting the best deal possible. Sellers need to do the extras on the home while preparing it to sell, otherwise the house will not achieve its full value or worse will not receive any offer.

The market appears to be stabilizing with inventory not being as large as it has been in the past. 2007 is a good year for buyers as many sellers understand the market has come down and are willing to still sell their property. Many buyers are still cautious and are constantly watching the market as well as keeping up with the latest trends in housing. 2007 should be slightly better than 2006 based upon the number of potential buyers looking so early in 2007. It appears that we may have a productive spring market if sellers listen to professional real estate agents and not listen to their friend who sold their house two years ago and received a large sum of money. Like the great Kenny Rogers sings about, 'You got to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.'"

Mike Cotraro
Web Site: www.teamcotraro.com
Email: cotraro@teamcotraro.com
Phone: 978-882-4425

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"A positive change in the perception of our current Cape Ann market can be gauged by comparing the number of under agreement (UAG) properties now vs. the same time last year. It's what I like to call 'the pipeline.' I'm happy to say that in Gloucester, the number of UAG single families is up from 2 to 20 (+900%), condos from 5 to 14 (+180%) and multis from 0 to 3 (+300%).

Buyers last year were afraid to buy because many were worried about a 'bubble': 'if I buy it today, it might be worth substantially less in the very near future.' According to the current number of under agreement properties, those fears have all but disappeared and, once again, real estate is going 'under agreement' and selling. And, as most of us in the trenches said, 'There is no bubble. The market will correct, but not drastically.'"

Kenny MacCarthy
Web Site: www.kennymaccarthy.com
Email: kenny@kennymaccarthy.com
Phone: 978-758-0983