Salem Willows Dock

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE FROM SALEM NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THE MERGER OF TWO PROMINENT BEVERLY MONTESSORI SCHOOLS

Beverly Montessori schools to merge

BEVERLY — The city’s two Montessori schools have agreed to merge, a step that organizers say could eventually lead to the creation of one of the country’s few Montessori high schools.

Harborlight Montessori and Stoneridge Children’s Montessori, which serve infants and toddlers through eighth grade, will officially become one school starting July 1.

The new school will be called Harborlight-Stoneridge Montessori School and will continue to operate on its current campuses on Essex Street near the YMCA and on Hale Street next to Endicott College.

“We’re excited about the future,” said Bob Cipriani, Harborlight trustees chairman. “We think it’s going to be really good for everyone.”

Cipriani and Dan Watkins, the trustees chairman at Stoneridge, said the merger makes sense because the two private schools have similar philosophies, serve students of the same age and are only a mile apart. Combining forces will allow them to offer a wider range of programs and stand out in a competitive private and public school market on the North Shore.

“It seemed to me we were much too focused on each other and not on that broader market,” Watkins said.

The size of the combined school, about 400 students, could someday lead to the creation of a Montessori high school, the trustees said. There are currently only a handful of Montessori high schools in the country, none in Massachusetts, Cipriani said.

“There’s always been interest in how far can you go with the Montessori model,” he said. “We felt with a critical mass of 400 students we’d be in a position to think about it someday.”

Montessori schools emphasize teaching children how to think critically and solve problems rather than “memorizing and regurgitating data,” Cipriani said. Harborlight was founded in 1973, while Stoneridge opened in 1989.

Tuition will stay relatively the same at the two schools, from $16,900 to $17,300 for the elementary and middle schools.

The two schools currently employ 83 people, mostly teachers. Rebecca McGrail, assistant to the head of school at Stoneridge, said the schools hope to minimize job losses “as much as possible.”

“We’re looking at administration for economies of scale,” she said. “Our mission is to ensure that our faculty on those campuses are as stable as possible.”

David Hursty, the interim head of school at Harborlight, will serve as interim head for the combined school for the 2012-13 academic year. The school board will conduct a search for a permanent head of schools to start in 2013-14.

Alan Feldman, who has been head of school at Stoneridge since 2005, will help with the transition but will not stay on with the new school, McGrail said.

Susan Egan, the co-founder of Harborlight Montessori, retired last June after 38 years as head of school. Harborlight Montessori opened in 1973 with 27 children in the basement of the First Baptist Church on Cabot Street.

Staff writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2675 or by email at pleighton@salemnews.com.

THE ABOVE ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED BY SALEMNEWS.COM

 The above real estate information was provided by Dan Bernal, a Realtor in Salem MA. Dan has been featured on the popular HGTV show House Hunters and is a top producing agent with Virtual Homes Real Estate. Dan can be reached by email at dan.bernal@virtualhomes.com or by phone at  617-275-3291, or follow these links for free MLS access and information about Dan including client testimonials.

Salem Schools to Reorganize System

On March first I attended a public meeting with the Salem superintendent of schools along with principals of each elementary school in the district where plans for major changes to the town elementary and middle school system were announced. Among the changes were a potential reorganization of the division between elementary and middle school. Kindergarten through sixth grades would continue to exist in the various school locations they are now but seventh and eighth grades would be removed from those that currently include them and be consolidated to a single middle school location in the Collins Middle School. There are currently two K-8 schools in Salem so these would be the most effected by this specific change.

Other changes under consideration include extending the school day by an hour, a voluntary school uniform option specific to each school’s particular identity and changes to the assignment policies for school enrollment choices. As a parent with a child entering the Salem school system I found the presentation encouraging and the few administrators I spoke with enthusiastic and helpful.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The above real estate information was provided by Dan Bernal, a Realtor in Salem MA. Dan has been featured on the popular HGTV show House Hunters and is a top producing agent with Virtual Homes Real Estate. Dan can be reached by email at dan.bernal@virtualhomes.com or by phone at  617-275-3291, or follow these links for free MLS access and information about Dan including client testimonials.

Selling Fast to Move Up

During 2011 I saw a shift in many markets with less first time buyers and more “move-up” buyers, or people who already own a home looking to sell it and move up to a bigger or more expensive home. Obviously unstable economic conditions put a lot of would-be first time buyers on less stable footing so the shift was not surprising, however it does lead to a tip I’ve had success with and may help potential mover-uppers enter the market with reasonable expectations.

Any potential buyer is looking at current low interest rates, relatively lower pricing and in some areas still modest sales volume as an opportunity to get a “deal.” When considering taking advantage of this by selling your current home in order to buy up, you should also consider that those looking to buy your home are in the same mindset and staring at the same market conditions. Vital to actually succeeding in the purchase of a great deal is being prepared to buy. If you need to sell your current home in order to buy the next, you cannot always afford the luxury of time.

To make this short, sweet and to the point here is my suggestion. Beware the pitfalls of listing broker flattery which is often employed to get you under contract to sell your home with them. If your plan is to beat the selling competition in this market, the most efficient way to do it is simply undercut them. Rather than analyzing recent comparable sales for a target value and then seeing what you can get, I say aim a little below your homes comparable market value when listing.  This market is not all about luxury and refinements, it’s about deals. You’ll sell a home that needs some TLC but is priced a little shy of market value much faster than one in pristine condition listed at or a little above it’s market value.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The above real estate information was provided by Dan Bernal, a Realtor in Salem MA. Dan has been featured on the popular HGTV show House Hunters and is a top producing agent with Virtual Homes Real Estate. Dan can be reached by email at dan.bernal@virtualhomes.com or by phone at  617-275-3291, or follow these links for free MLS access and information about Dan including client testimonials.

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Who is Responsible For Smoke & Carbon Inspection?

When purchasing any property it is crucial to know if the smoke inspection is buyer or seller responsibility for MA Buyers. In most MA home sales the Seller takes responsibility for having the fire department inspect the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and issue a certificate of compliance with local fire codes in advance of a sale closing. This is one of many necessary steps to prepare for the closing and failure to produce a certificate of compliance at the closing will grind everything to a halt and prevent the sale going through.

In the case of  some short-sale and foreclosed (REO or Bank Owned) property we find the responsibility for a smoke and carbon monoxide detector inspection deferred to the Buyer either in the listing itself or in accompanying addenda often posted along with the listing in MLS. This responsibility includes not just arranging for an paying the fire department to conduct the inspection but also bringing the dwelling up to code if it is currently NOT in compliance. To avoid paying the fire department for two inspections and potentially holding up a closing it is wise to work with your buyers agent to preview the property for compliance and add, replace or relocate detectors as appropriate to local code.

Obviously when looking at this kind of property it’s important to work with a buyers agent who knows what seller responsibilities may be placed on the Buyer side in these instances, knows where to look for it in the listing, addenda or sales contract and knows to keep track of and even handle these responsibilities themselves if a buyer is unfamiliar or unavailable. Without this sort of proactive coordination many short-sale and foreclosed property sales can fall apart due to simple inexperience or neglect.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The above real estate information was provided by Dan Bernal, a Realtor in Salem MA. Dan has been featured on the popular HGTV show House Hunters and is a top producing agent with Virtual Homes Real Estate. Dan can be reached by email at dan.bernal@virtualhomes.com or by phone at  617-275-3291, or follow these links for free MLS access and information about Dan including client testimonials.

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Danvers MA Market Report 2011

Single Family Home Sales

The current Danvers MA Market Report 2011 shows single family home sales slipped 17% from Danvers’ 2010 sales dropping from to 186 to the 2011 volume of 154. During the same period we saw the average sale price level off with no notable shift hovering right around $353k both years. This shows a largely stable trend in single family values after a few years of steady decline, sales volume continued a four year up an down trend landing comfortably up in 2011.  The average number of days on market stretched a bit from 105 to 122 days, a 16% increase showing that pricing is holding though the market has slowed down a bit.

Danvers Single Family Average Price 2006-2011

Condominium Sales

As single family home sales decreased significantly from 2010 to 2011, condominium sales continued a four year see-saw trend heading down 8% in 2011 from 65 to 60 sales after a similar but opposite upward swing in 2010 over 2009. The average sale price for Danvers condo sales rose 3% from around $226k to around $233k reflecting a stabilization of values similar to the local single family home pricing trend. 154 sales in 2011 with the average sale price sliding only 1% from around $338k to $335k. The average days on market, as with single family homes, expanded by 25% from 96 days to 120.

Values are showing signs of leveling off but the market has slowed down for both condominium and single family sales leaving less competition for buyers but better prospects for value security in coming years.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The above real estate information was provided by Dan Bernal, a Realtor in Salem MA. Dan has been featured on the popular HGTV show House Hunters and is a top producing agent with Virtual Homes Real Estate. Dan can be reached by email at dan.bernal@virtualhomes.com or by phone at  617-275-3291, or follow these links for free MLS access and information about Dan including client testimonials.

No related posts.

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