Estate Planning Workshops in Franklin, MA

Learn how to protect yourself, your minor children and your family at the following two workshops to be held at the Tri-County RVTHS in Franklin.

Protect Your Children: Wednesday 4/2/14, 6pm-8pm
All parents know that it’s a necessity to choose a guardian (“back up parent”) for their child in the event of the unexpected. However, many parents are overwhelmed with making this choice and do not know where to begin. They do not realize that if they fail to select a guardian, the court will “blindly” appoint one. Moreover, if you fail to plan properly, property and assets intended for your children will be subject to the probate process and the time delay and additional costs associated with it. In this workshop, we will discuss guardianship issues in depth and cover how to pass your property to responsibly (and legally) to provide care for your children.

Estate Planning Basics: Wednesday 4/30/14, 6pm to 8pm
Have you taken the necessary steps to protect yourself and your family if something were to happen? Where would your property go? Who would make decisions on your behalf? These and other important questions will be addressed in this estate planning seminar. You'll learn the necessary components of an effective estate plan, and real life scenarios will be evaluated to illustrate the use of various estate planning tools such as wills, trusts, durable power of attorneys, and health care proxies. You won't want to miss this informative and easy to understand seminar on a very important topic.

Register: Please call (508) 528-5400, ext. 12 or e-mail ContinuingEd@tri-county.tc, space is limited, nominal fee charged by TCHS.

If you cannot make it to the workshops in Franklin, they will also be held in Norfolk, MA at Norfolk Public Library. For more information about the workshops, please click HERE.

To connect with Amy Antonellis and Jason Carrozza visit Family Legal Partners, P.C.

Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® Reports on February 2014 Sales

The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported yesterday that closed sales were down from the same time last year, however the home prices continued to increase. Condominium sales and prices were both up in February.

According to the MAR President Peter Ruffini: "The winter weather hasn’t deterred buyers, sellers are taking longer than normal to enter the market so far in 2014."

You can read the full report HERE.

Community Spotlight: Self Esteem Through Art

Jenn Pipe is a multi-passionate entrepreneur who has created a unique and powerful art-based character education and personal development program called Self Esteem Through Art. She designed this program for multiple reasons: 1) to help women rediscover and honor themselves and their identities, 2) to help children lead, learn, and grow through art, altruism, and authenticity, and 3) to introduce people of all ages to the healing effects of soul-searching through creativity.

Jenn introduces her curriculum to the community through an assortment of local classes and workshops for both children and adults. She is a part-time teacher of her art-based curriculum at the Benjamin Franklin Charter School in Franklin, where she will run summer camp once again this year. Jenn also works with businesses and corporations who are seeking authentic, creative, innovative ways for both connecting with their employees and increasing their bottom line.


Jenn is a Certified Coach in Self Esteem Elevation for Children, which is an invaluable asset in her line of work. Jenn’s Wish List: to see public schools adopting her social/emotional curriculum, to connect and empower people of all ages, and to make the world a better place one class at a time.





You can learn much more about Jenn her services at jennpipe.com. And don't forget to check out her FREE podcasts Areté Today on iTunes.

Connect with Jenn Pipe:

Website and Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, iTunes  

Email: jennpipe@gmail.com

Phone: 508-561-8190

Photos and text courtesy of Jenn Pipe and Self Esteem Through Art.

If you would like to have your organization/business featured on Community Spotlight contact Renata@BetterLivingRE.com

Home prices vs. home sales in February

"Home prices continued to show solid growth in most of the country due to limited inventory conditions, but rising prices and severe winter weather caused existing-home sales to slip in February," according to the National Association of Realtors®. Read the full report here.

Whether you are a seller or a buyer, I can help. Connect with me at Renata@BetterLivingRE.com or call/text (508) 507-9715. 

Spring is Here!

Community Spotlight: The Woodshed Gallery

The Woodshed Gallery was established in Franklin in 1968 by Angelina and James Wood, specializing in custom picture framing, jewelry, and exhibitions of local fine art. Today, The Woodshed Gallery is being operated by their children - Bruce Wood and Mary-Ann Wood Besnia.

Bruce specializes in cleaning, repair, and restoration of oil and acrylic paintings. Do you have paintings that were damaged by smoke, water or mold? Holes in the canvas? No problem - bring your artwork in for a free appraisal. Read more on services offered by Bruce here.

Mary-Ann, a costume jewelry designer, specializing in DinnerWear Jewelry has created a fun boutique in the gallery. The boutique offers not only unique jewelry, but also other items such as scarfs, ceramics, cards and more. Click here for more information.

The Woodshed Gallery is (usually) Open Tuesday through Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 10am-3pm. We're glad to meet you at other times, by appointment.

Connect with The Woodshed Gallery:
Website
Email: Bruce@WoodshedGallery.com
Phone:  (508) 533-6277
Address: 1243 Pond Street, Franklin, MA 02038
Contact Person: Bruce Wood, Gallery Director

Text and photos courtesy of Bruce Wood and The Woodshed Gallery.

If you would like to have your organization/business featured on Community Spotlight contact Renata@BetterLivingRE.com

Snow and cold did not stop buyers in February

“Sellers should be encouraged by the continued strong buyer demand,” said MAR President Peter Ruffini. “This trend will hopefully, help increase the inventory of homes for sale in the coming spring market. With values on the rise, it’s a good time to sell for more homeowners now than at any time in the past five years.”

The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported that the the number of single-family homes put under agreement in February was up 20.4 percent compared to the same time last year (3,587 homes in 2014 from 2,980 homes in 2013). This is the most homes put under agreement in February since 2004 when there were 3,612 homes.

Read full report here.

Whether you are a seller or a buyer, I can help. Connect with me at Renata@BetterLivingRE.com or call/text (508) 507-9715. 

Community Spotlight: Akin Bak Farm, LLC

Akin Bak Farm, LLC is located right along Rt. 140 in the lovely town of Franklin, MA. The farm was established by Robert Accorsi in 1938 and has been in the family ever since. Currently the farm is run by full-time farmers Seth and Bette Rousseau. Bette grew up here on the farm and has spent many years working hand-in-hand with her parents, and Seth spent a majority of his childhood weekends in the barn and fields "learning the ropes" from his grandparents.

Akin Bak Farm, LLC is a ‘small-sized’ operation with two apple orchards, a blueberry orchard, multiple planting fields, dozens of chickens and numerous beehives that our 'millions' of bees call home. We also stock a variety of homemade crafts and other goods available in our farm stand throughout the year.

Our farm stand hours during peak seasons are from 9-6PM on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and from 10-6PM on Sundays. In the ‘off-season’ just come visit us at the back door of the farm house, where you will find us in the work kitchen!

We may be small in size, but we aren't small at all. As we often say: "You can't judge a book by its cover, and you can't judge a farm by its size!"

We hope you can make it out to visit us and support the local farms!

Connect with Akin Bak Farm:

Website, Facebook

Email: Akinbakfarm@gmail.com

Phone:  508-530-2227/508-736-4549

Address: 360 W. Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038

Contact Person: Seth/Bette Rousseau

Text and photos courtesy of Seth Rousseau and Akin Bak Farm.

If you would like to have your organization/business featured on Community Spotlight contact Renata@betterlivingre.com

Wanted: Properties for Sale

Buyers want to get to Franklin, but there are not enough properties to look at on the market. If you are thinking of selling, contact me for a complimentary market analysis. 

Community Spotlight: Pour Richard's Wine & Spirits

Pour Richard’s is a new experience in beverage shopping. We exploit our 20+ years and extensive connections in the industry to bring you great wine at excellent values. You drink like an industry insider; we do all the heavy lifting.

Our motto is ‘Never Drink Ordinary’. We present a well-edited selection of tasty wines, craft beers, and artisanal spirits, many of which are sustainable or organic. We concentrate on small producers, great values, and always great customer service.

We also offer:
• Wine tasting every day
• Craft Beer tasting on Friday evenings
• Free instant chilling service
• Classes and seminars on wine, beer, and spirits
• Wine Club
• Signature events, such as Pennywise Party, and LNO- check out our calendar for more.

Community Connections - Pour Richard’s is proud to partner with local and regional non-profits. We offer fundraising opportunities to community groups. Join the Franklin Food Pantry, Jefferson School, Purrfect Cat Shelter, Relay for Life, Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee, Painted Lady Flower Farm and many more.

Connect with Pour Richard's:
Website, Facebook, Twitter
Email: ann@pourrichardswine.com
Phone:  (508) 520-9163
Address: 14 Grove St., Franklin, MA 02038
Contact Person: Ann Williams (co-owner)

Text and photos courtesy of Ann Willams and Pour Richard's.

If you would like to have your organization/business featured on Community Spotlight contact Renata@betterlivingre.com

It's Maple Sugaring Season in Massachusetts

When did you last go to see maple sugaring? The industry is changing and modernizing. The buckets and one big hole in a tree are being substituted by plastic tubing and 3 smaller holes to help the tree heal faster. The sap is flowing, so go out and have fun exploring this sweet industry.

Matfield Maple Farm 2013

Appleton Farms Ipswich - Saturdays at the Sugar Shack
Land's Sake in Weston - Sugaring Off Festival
Mass Audubon Drumlin Farm Lincoln - Sap-to-Syrup Farmers Breakfast
Mass Audubon Ipswich - Weekend Maple Sugaring Tours
Mass Audubon Moose Hill Sharon- Maple Sugaring Festival
Matfield Maple Farm Tours - West Bridgewater
Natick Community Organic Farm - Maple Sugaring Tours
Old Sturbridge Village - Maple Days

For even more resources and sugar houses in Massachusetts visit   Massachusetts Maple Producers Association.

Moose Hill Sanctuary 2014

Matfield Maple Farm 2013

Community Spotlight: Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee (FBRTC)

Trailhead on Grove St., Franklin, MA

The Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee (FBRTC) is a volunteer advocacy group dedicated to the development, maintenance, and financial support of the Southern New England Trunkline Trail as a multi-use, universally accessible recreational path.



FBRTC is a subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Trail Blazers, a recognized 501(c)(3), working in partnership with federal, state and local governments, members of the FBRTC are committed to exploring all private, state and federal funding avenues to implement all necessary design plans.

Winter 2012

If you are interested in developing this trail for our community, you can join FBRTC as a member. You can also attend our monthly meeting to learn about trail developments or help plan trail events.


Mark your calendars:
Upcoming Meeting of FBRTC: Tuesday March 11, 2014, 7:30pm at Franklin YMCA.
4th Annual Road Race: Saturday, May 3 at 8:30 am. For more click HERE.

Clean up crew in 2011

Connect with FBRTC:
Website, Facebook
E-mail: admin@franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org
Address: P.O. Box 68, Franklin, MA 02038
Contact Person: Marc Kaplan - Chair


Photos courtesy of Marc Kaplan and the FBRTC


If you would like to have your organization/business featured on Community Spotlight contact Renata@betterlivingre.com

Community Spotlight

Coming soon to the Franklin Living Blog is "Community Spotlight" series. It will highlight local businesses and organizations, their services, mission and ties to our community. 

If you have a business or organization in Franklin, MA and would like to be featured here, or if you know of one that you would like to recommend, please contact me at Renata@betterlivingre.com