Home stagers decorate a house
in hours. Here are their tips for yours.
By R achel Kurzius
The Washington Post
AT 12:30 P.M. ON A Monday, a rowhouse on a leafy street in Northeast Washington is completely empty. Less than five hours later, the three-bedroom residence brims with furniture, art and the kinds of baubles that make a house feel like a home: neatly folded hand towels in the bathroom, a dinosaur-shaped planter in the kids’ bedroom, an open backgammon board on the family room table. What happened in between? Michelle DeLucia, owner of Sub Urban Staging and Design, came from a 4,000-squarefoot warehouse in Silver Spring, Maryland, with two colleagues, three movers and enough stuff to make the space alluring for real estate photos and potential buyers. Then, they spent the afternoon transforming the rowhouse.
Rather than appealing to the specific tastes of one client, home stagers must make a space as enticing to as many people as possible. They want to ensure that buyers feel wowed online and in person, or at least prevent them from scrolling to another listing after mere seconds.
There are certain tricks of the trade that simply won’t apply to people who are decorating their own spots — you probably won’t be steaming your bed skirts and bathroom towels on a frequent basis, for instance, as DeLucia and her team do — but many stager tricks and tips do apply to nesters. Here are eight.
Pick a foundational item for each room
It’s tough to know where to begin when staring at an empty room. “You pick that one thing,” DeLucia says. “Is it the rug you got in Morocco?
Is it a sofa that was passed down that you had recovered or whatever? Start from that, and then you build. And everything else just kind of falls into place because you have started building on something you love.” That’s how she approaches staging each room: A piece of artwork or something else that’s eye-catching lays the foundation for all the other items to follow.
If you’re feeling stymied, look to your home itself for inspiration. Alex Hermes, an expert stager at Bella Staging in Charlotte, says stagers often get knocked for using only neutrals. While that works in some spaces, “each home has its own unique personality,” she says. “You can look at different aspects of the house, the year it’s built, the color scheme.” For a recent staging of a mid-century house, Hermes says, “instead of trying to modernize that too much, we just played into it with bright colors and things that were relevant in that era.”
It’s all about scale
DeLucia likes to have a large sofa to show off the possibility of a room, but she and her team also have their eyes peeled for how a big piece of furniture or even the placement of an end table could prevent a closet door from fully opening, or how it feels to walk through the room from each entrance.
Ashley Stout, co-owner of Sizzle Home Staging in Chicago, keeps this in mind, too, when she’s trying to figure out if the furniture is to scale for the room. “Is it going to affect the natural flow from one space to another?” she says. “You don’t want to limit your access to a door or a closet. You don’t want it to be blocking some window that’s giving you fantastic natural light.”
Do not fear the tchotchke
DeLucia’s stagings include a bevy of baubles. She thinks of accessories as a way to tell a story and to make a space feel like home. She’s picked up many of them on her travels, such as a little stuffed alpaca from a trip to Peru, but many of the gewgaws come from big-box stores, too. Her team always brings a bunch of faux plants, in varying styles and sizes of planters, to breathe life into each room.
There’s a trick to making it all work: “Mixing materials is really important to create a space that feels like you’ve cultivated that look over time,” she says. And it’s OK if you’re not quite sure how to arrange them all at first. DeLucia often futzes with them until the configuration feels right.
There are some moments to blow your budget
You should budget out how much you’d like to spend on any given item.
But Barbara Webb, owner of Webb Home Staging in Nashville, says there are moments when she sees something special, and the budget goes “out the window.”
“I see something that’s a key piece or unusual, and I know I
can use it over and over again, I will grab that sometimes no matter what the price tag is,” Webb says. “Because I know it’s going to make the key element that just makes that space so much fun and rise above other spaces.” (Of course, do this responsibly.)
Webb avoids trendy pieces, though, because she see doesn’t see those as a good investment.
If you want to invest in a trend, start small
If you do want to try a new decor trend, begin with an item like an accent pillow before you dive into the deep end with a pricier piece. Webb looks at pillows and thinks, “I can afford to change that out all day long,” she says, where-
as she keeps the sofas more neutral.
Take your time
DeLucia’s warehouse has approximately 30 sofas, 50 headboards and more than 100 lamps, along with a full wall of pillows. There are, inevitably, some items she views as mistakes.
The key thing they have in common is that she bought them in desperation. She needed them stat and didn’t have time to really consider whether they’d be a good longterm fit for her work.
Unlike house stagers, you don’t have to fill up your entire home in mere hours. Try to avoid buying big-ticket items in a rush.
Above, faux plants and a variety of materials come together in a Capitol Hill home in Washington. Below, Michelle DeLucia arranges the master bedroom. Cover image: A home stager begins decorating some bookshelves. (PHOTOS BY VALERIE PLESCH / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)
Reich | In the Garden
IMANAGED TO PACK lightly for a journey, many years ago, to the West Coast, toting along only an extra pair of pants, a couple of shirts, and a few other essentials. But on the return trip, how could I resist carrying back such bits of California as orange-flavored olive oil and chestnut-fig preserves? The most obvious bit of California that I brought back was a potted bay laurel plant (Lauris nobilis), its single stem poking out of my small backpack and brushing fragrant leaves against the faces of my fellow travelers.
Not only did the bay laurel bring a bit of California to my home, but also traditions dating back thousands of years from its native home along the Mediterranean coast. Ancient Romans crowned victors with wreaths of laurel and bestowed berried branches upon doctors passing their final examinations. (The word “baccalaureate” comes from bacca laureus, Latin for “laurel berry.”) Bay laurel was sacred to Apollo, so was planted near temples.
Although bay laurel can grow 50 feet tall, my plan was to develop this plant into a small tree with a single, upright trunk capped by a pompom of leaves. The Mediterranean climate is characterized by hot, dry summers, and cool,
GARDEN NOTES
STOCKBRIDGE
moist winters. Since the plant is hardy only to about fifteen degrees Fahrenheit, I had to grow it in a pot. The plant is allegedly a rich feeder, but my plants grow fine in my homemade potting mix which contains a healthy portion of
compost and — for some extra oomph — some soybean meal. The potted tree decorates the house in winter, the terrace in summer, and provides fresh bay leaves for soups and other dishes year-round. It is in winter that my plant
Upcoming program at Berkshire Botanical Garden
Berkshire Botanical Garden presents the following upcoming programs.
• Monday, Aug. 4, “Music Mondays,” featuring The BTUs. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Food will be available for purchase from Hand Crafted Catering + Events, and beer and wine can be purchased from Another Round Mobile Bar. Come early and join in for the Farmers Market from 3 to 6 p.m. Cost is $15 members, $25 nonmembers.
• Friday, Aug. 8, “Family Fridays,” presents children’s entertainer Willy Welch, from 11 a.m. to noon. Welch is a children’s entertainer, picture book author and recording artist who brings his songs/stories and puppets to the places where children spend their time and wherever the music calls.
Family Fridays are free with garden admission, and BBG members are admitted free of charge.
To register or for more information, visit www.berkshirebotanical.org. Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at 5 W. Stockbridge Road.
Send items for Garden Notes to pmastriano@ repub.com two weeks prior to publication.
realizes just how far it is from its Mediterranean home. Winters in its homelands are typically cool and moist. Winters inside a northern home are typically warm and dry. Since cool rooms are moister than warm rooms in winter, the cooler the room the better, preferably below 50 degrees. My bay laurel has wintered well either in a sunny window in a cool room or near a bright window in my basement, where temperatures are very cool. The higher the temperatures, the more light bay laurel needs.
The other challenge to my bay tree has been scale insects. They sit along leaves and stems under their protective shell as they suck sap from
the plant. Actually, it’s more of a challenge to me because the plant tolerates scale reasonably well. Once moved outdoors in spring, the plant soon recovers from the attack and its resident scale population, either from the changed environment or from predators, subsides.
The problem for me is that the insects exude a sticky honeydew that drips onto furniture and the floor. A sooty black fungus then feeds on the honeydew.
This summer I’ve taken a more active role in thwarting scale by spraying the plant weekly with horticultural oil, which is nontoxic to humans and soon evaporates.
Stagers
Don’t be afraid to give your rooms multiple purposes
Take advantage of the various nooks and crannies in your home. For stagers, this is a way of showing buyers a new possibility.
But for you, it could expand how useful a room is. “If you don’t have a dedicated office but you can fit a little desk on the side of a space in your living room, you’ve just added another dimension,” Stout says. And just because a room has been a dining room in the past doesn’t mean you have to keep it that way if that’s not how you live.
Stout sometimes sees people limit themselves “based on the assumed, the obvious function of the room, but you can either make it multipurpose or you can give it an entire different function that works.”
Hang the art last
DeLucia and her team wait until they’ve arranged every other element before they hang up the art. (Yes, they use a hammer and nails — it’s in the contract.) They already have one big piece planned for each room, along with supporting players, but want to ensure everything else is in place before they start
putting holes in the walls. You don’t want to center a painting on a table, only to then move the table seven inches.
The first wall that people see when they enter a room always gets serious attention. But not everything DeLucia hangs costs a fortune. She turns small items, such as a textile or postcard from travel, or a fabric sample, into wall art by framing them with nice matting.
How to make a move
It helps to think about the movability before you pull the trigger on any large piece of furniture. When Stout stages spaces with tight stairwells or third-floor walk-ups, she uses sofas with a slimmer profile. For young people who are likely to move many times, she recommends “thinking about the portability of
Bay laurel can be trained to any number of shapes such as a pyramid, cone or globe, with these shapes beginning at ground level or capping a long or short piece of trunk.
Right from the get-go, I chose to grow my tree as a “standard.” “Standard” has many meanings both in and out of horticulture, so let’s first get straight which kind
the pieces that you’re buying, just [to] give it a longer lifespan for you as you move into different properties throughout your life.”
If you’re lucky, your moving days are few and far between. Not so for DeLucia, who has four this week. So she and her team have hammered out how to make each one as painless as possible. They load big items like couches and beds into the moving truck first, and put rugs in last.
That way, the rugs come off the truck before anything else, and the team can lay them down before they move in large pieces of furniture. They also ensure that they’ve plugged in all the lamps before placing furniture that might block needed outlets.
“Sometimes it’s poetry in motion,” DeLucia says.
of “standard” we are dealing with: Here, I mean a naturally bushy, small plant trained to have a clear, upright stem capped by a mop of leaves. A miniature tree.
In the world of gardening, people are divided over how they feel about “standards.”
Some gardeners love them, others will have nothing to do with them.
(A “standard” apple tree is one grafted to a rootstock that does not confer any dwarfing.)
For training my lolli-
Weeds are taking over the cracks in my
driveway.
What can I do?
By Jeanne Huber The Washington Post
Q. Our concrete driveway was poured with wooden spacers between the sections. Now the wood has rotted, and weeds have taken over. How can I get rid of them?
A. Whether you have a driveway, patio or garden path paved with concrete, bricks or flagstones, you’re almost certain to be doing battle with weeds at some point. Although the narrow spaces between pieces of the paving don’t seem like an ideal place to grow, weeds seem to find what they need there. Yanking them out isn’t always easy. And they’re sure to come back. There are effective ways to keep the paving looking tidy, but the best solution really depends on the situation. If weeds are just starting to show up in paving that is relatively new and weed-free, pulling the sprouts, roots and all, is feasible and effective. But if the tops break off, you need to extract the roots, or the weeds are likely to regrow. And as that happens, many weeds also expand the number of root tentacles, making it much more difficult to pull the resprouted weeds. Most weeding tools can’t help you extract broken-off roots because the tools are too wide to reach down into the joints. Try using a painter’s tool, such as the Warner Paint MultiTool. Often called a 5-in-1 but sometimes designed and labeled to
pop-shaped bay tree, I allowed only a single stem to grow straight upward and then pinched off any side shoots that developed. When the trunk reached three feet in height, I pinched out the tip to cause branches to form high on the stem. I kept this up, pinching branches and then their branches, to cause further branching, thus forming a dense head.
Ongoing care of the tree entails pruning and pinching to keep the mop head to size,
include more than five functions, this tool has a stiff but narrow blade and a point at one side of the blade that you can use as a mini pry bar to help lift stubborn roots.
Or you can use a tool designed specifically for cleaning out joints in garden paving. Some of these tools, such as the Crack Weeder, have a short handle, good if working on your knees eases stress on your back. Other crack weeders, such as the DeWit Patio Knife, have a long handle so you can work while standing up.
Pulling weeds is most effective when they are just getting started. It’s also the best (and only) option if you have plants you want to keep, such as thyme, growing between flagstones. On other paving, such as sections of concrete or brick, once weeds have grown into clumps, the fastest way to tidy up is to slice off the stems and leaves with a string trimmer. Direct the string so it whirls almost flat with the paving. Wear safety glasses in case the string flings grit toward your face. You can also slice off weeds by hand using a painter’s multi-tool (if the blade is sharp), or even a scraper with a razor blade.
Weeds you slice off are likely to regrow, though, so you will probably need to repeat the process at least a couple of times during the growing season. To lengthen the time between haircuts, some people recommend pouring vinegar or salt solutions into the cracks.
and root pruning and repotting the plant every couple of years or so. The time to do any trimming to keep a plant in shape is mostly just as soon as the new shoots mature and stop growing in early summer.
A few years ago, I decided that my tree was too tall and unwieldy; I wanted a shorter standard. Easy: I just lopped the whole plant to the ground and started again. With an established root system fueling new growth, I was able to develop the new lollipop quickly.
All this pinching and pruning yields fresh bay leaves, which find their way into the kitchen. The fresh leaf has a strong flavor, and one cookbook suggests (and I now confirm this) using one leaf for a dish to serve four people. The aroma of the fresh leaf is more than just strong; it actually has a different quality than that of the dried leaf. The fresh aroma is almost oily, to me somewhat reminiscent of olive oil — how California-ish!
The home’s dining room after staging. (VALERIE PLESCH / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)
Terry & Kim Kovel | Antiques & Collecting
Peachblow glass became craze in Victorian Era
FOR ART GLASS COLlectors, a peachblow vase can be as much of a treat as a perfectly ripe peach at the peak of its season. Peachblow is one of the many types of two-tone art glass popular in the late Victorian Era. The shaded glass craze began with Amberina, shading from amber to ruby, patented in 1883. Burmese glass, shading from pink to yellow, was registered in 1885.
In 1886, tonal pink shades came into vogue, thanks to the sale of a famous antique Chinese ceramic vase, today called the Morgan vase, with a mottled pink glaze described as “peachblow” or “peach bloom.” By then, many manufacturers had already perfected suitable opaque two-tone pink glass, so they capitalized on the vase’s fame with names like “Peachblow” (or “Peach Blow”), “Peach Bloom” and “Peach Skin.” The exact colors and glassmaking techniques varied among companies; for example, the Peachblow glass by Hobbs, Brockunier & Co. had an outer layer shaded from red to amber and a creamy opaque lining, while Mt. Washington Glass Co. used the name for a single-layer glass shaded from pink to pale blue.
The vase pictured here, made by the English company Thomas Webb & Sons, is shaded from red to peach. It sold for $163 at Forsythe’s Auctions. Like many pieces of peachblow glass, it has a satin finish; a velvety texture, perhaps reminiscent of a real peach’s skin, created with an acid vapor treatment.
Q. I have a chair that I found in an antique store. There is a maker’s mark on the bottom from the Heyman Co. from Grand Rapids, Michigan. I can’t find any other chairs from them online, so it appears to be rare. I know it was made in the late 1880s, because that is when they were in business. The seat has fabric upholstery that looks original. There is no damage to it and there don’t seem to be any repairs
When it comes to decorations on Victorian art glass, more is always better. This vase by Thomas Webb & Sons has the shaded color scheme called peachblow, a satin finish, and gold flowers and butterflies. (FORSYTHE’S AUCTIONS)
done. It is in great condition. Can you give me a value on this?
A. Grand Rapids was an important center for furniture manufacturing from the late 19th to the mid-20th century. Companies mass-produced furniture in the popular styles of the time, like Renaissance Revival in the late 1800s and Arts and Crafts in the early 1900s. Because the furniture was made by machine, pieces were simpler than the elaborately carved styles of the earlier Victorian years. They had rectangular lines and flat surfaces. Oak and walnut were popular woods.
Grand Rapids manufacturers made furniture for all price points, but today, these pieces are usually inexpensive, unless they are by a famous maker like Stickley or Limbert. The
there a way to get an appraisal value?
A. International trade in elephant ivory was banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1989. It is legal to own ivory that was imported before then. Ivory chess sets like yours have been made in India for hundreds of years. We have seen sets from the mid-20th century valued at about $200. Sets from the 19th century can be worth more than $1,000.
To get a more precise appraisal, you may want to look for an antiques dealer in your area or contact an auction house that handles ivory. Look for specialists in Asian art. If you are planning to sell your chess set, transport it across state lines or even give it as a gift, donation, or inheritance, be sure to check both federal and state laws. Federal laws regarding ivory have been updated several times in the last decade. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (fws.gov) will have the latest federal laws.
CURRENT PRICES
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Fenton, Aqua Crest, vase, milk glass, blue ruffled rim, flared, pedestal foot, 11 inches, pair, $35.
Coverlet, jacquard, four colors, red, blue, green, cream, center flower medallion, leafy scrolling spandrels, flower and leaf borders, fringe, c. 1850, 96 x 88 inches, $65. Nippon, vase, painted landscape, moriage trim, stylized flowers, swags, wreaths, scrolling handles, flared lip, red rim, M in wreath mark, 12 inches, $95. Copper, planter, globular, flared lip, hammered body, brass mounts, three shaped handles, paw feet, Arts and Crafts, England, William Soutter & Sons, 8 x 10 inches, $140.
Heyman Co. is not as well known; we have found out little about the company other than that it was active until at least the 1940s. Grand Rapids chairs by unknown makers usually sell for about $50 or less. A maker’s mark or label increases the value of furniture. Your chair would be worth more, probably about $75 to $100.
Q. My father taught engineering graphics at Ohio State University during the 1960s and 1970s. One of his favorite students was from India and gifted him a carved ivory chess set sometime in the late 1960s. I know ivory is controversial, but there is a “cut off” date under which it could be imported. I have two questions: 1. Does the late 1960s fall within that date? 2. Is
TIP: When storing dishes, glassware, and especially textiles, don’t use old newspapers for wrapping. The ink will come off and may leave permanent stains.
Kovels answers readers’ questions sent to the column. Send a letter with one question describing the size, material (glass, pottery) and what you know about the item. Include only two pictures: the object and a close-up of any marks or damage. Be sure your name and return address are included. By sending a question, you give full permission for use in any Kovel product. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We do not guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. Questions that are answered will appear in Kovels Publications. Write to Kovels, The Republican, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th Street, 41st Floor, New York, NY 10019, or email us at collectorsgallery@ kovels.com.
Furniture, washstand, pine, arched gallery top, shaped apron, frieze door, turned legs, shaped lower shelf, 40 x 34 1/2 inches, $255.
Toy, Ferris wheel, Hy-Lo, six baskets, multicolor, orange center, wood spinner, tin lithograph, Buffalo Toys, early 1900s, 15 1/2 inches, $265.
Coin-operated, trade stimulator, Ginger Cigarettes, three reels, 1 cent, round plate on front, woman with cigarette, wood base, 12 x 8 inches, $375.
Imperial Glass, Free Hand, vase, orange, blue pulled loops, iridescent, flared rim, tapered base, cobalt blue rim and foot, 11 inches, $780.
Candelabrum, six-light, gilt bronze, parrot finial, head turned, wings spread, all-over scrolls and flowers, three scrolled feet, France, 26 inches, pair, $1,280.
Furniture, chair set, Sheraton, tiger maple, carved rope twist crest, pierced splat, cane seat, stretcher base, French feet, early 1800s, 33 inches, four pieces, $2,640.
Average rate on 30-year mortgage eases again
Rate offers modest relief for home shoppers
By A lex Veiga Associated Press
The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage eased to where it was three weeks ago, modest relief for prospective homebuyers challenged by rising home prices and stubbornly high borrowing costs.
The long-term rate slipped to 6.72% from 6.74% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.73%.
Borrowing costs on 15-year fixedrate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also eased. The average rate dropped to 5.85% from 5.87% last week. A year ago, it was 5.99%, Freddie Mac said. Elevated mortgage rates continue to weigh on the U.S. housing market, which has been in a sales slump going back to 2022, when rates started to climb from the rock-bottom lows they reached during the pandemic.
Mortgage rates are influenced by
Deeds
AGAWAM
Justin L. David to Kyung Sook Bang, trustee, and Kyung Sook Bang Revocable Trust, trustee of, 99 Regency Park, Unit 99, $170,000.
Laurie J. Wright to Garret Schenck and Nancy Stenberg, 71 Harvey Johnson Drive, $340,000.
Nicole Garabedian and Nicole Anderson to Zully Guvenc, 216 Pineview Circle, $450,000.
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., to Martin Murphy and Robin Marie Murphy, 18 Deer Run Road, $281,000.
AMHERST
David M. Graham to David M. Graham, trustee, and Revocable Indenture of Trust of David M. Graham, 11 Potwine Lane, $100.
Flavia T. Cunha and Luiz A. Amaral to Satyabrota Das, 78 Aubinwood Road, $714,900.
James J. Chambers, Rebecca M. Chambers and Rebecca M.S. Spencer Chambers to James J. Chambers, trustee, Rebecca M. Spencer Chambers, trustee, James J. Chambers Living Trust and Rebecca M. Spencer Chambers Living Trust, 148 Red Gate Lane, $100.
Ronald T. Anderson to Brigid Moore,
several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation.
The main barometer is the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans. The yield was at 4.34% at midday Thursday, down from 4.37% late Wednesday.
Yields moved higher most of July as traders bet that the Fed would keep its key short-term interest rate unchanged at its meeting this month.
On Wednesday, the central bank’s policymaking committee voted to hold its main interest rate steady. And Fed Chair Jerome Powell pushed back on expectations that the Fed could cut rates at its next meeting in September, pointing to how inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target, while the job market still looks to be “in balance.”
A cut in rates would give the job market and overall economy a boost, but it could also fuel inflation just as the Trump administration’s tariffs risk raising prices for U.S. consumers.
“If a September rate cut starts to
9 Autumn Lane, $425,000.
Yoon J. Jeong, personal representative, and Jeeyon Jeong, estate, to Allana N. Jackson and Toussaint G. Losier, 124 Linden Ridge Road, $990,000.
Tiesa M. Graf to Troy P. Wixson and Madison Wixson, 161 Farmington Road, $375,000.
Michael K. Childs to Amherst Office Park LLC, 441 West St., $50,000.
John T. Wroblewski, trustee, Ann M. Wroblewski, trustee, John T. Wroblewski Living Trust and Ann M. Wroblewski Living Trust, to Newgen 1 LLC, 734 Main St., $1,050,000.
Debora D. Ferreira to Brent Houck Freedland and Abigail Lynn Perkiss, 17 Sacco Drive, $800,000.
Tammy L. Wilson and Alan Joshua Leffler to Vanessa Bergmann and Matthew Devine, 88 High Point Drive, $625,000.
Derek Lovley and Kelly Nevin Lovley to Chelsea D. Lovley and Nicholas Lovley, 89 Pondview Drive, $355.000.
BELCHERTOWN
David Lund and Sonia Lund to David C. Lund, trustee, Sonia D. Lund, trustee, and Lund Living Trust, 12 Depot St., $100.
Joseph G. Noonan and Marie C. Noonan to Lora Ann Fillion, 111 Daniel Shays Highway, $450,000.
Steven J. Roy and Sandra R. Roy
be more likely, it is possible that we could see mortgage rates edge downward at the end of the summer, similar to what we saw last year at this time,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS. “If inflation expectations continue to be high, mortgage rates could also remain higher.”
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has remained relatively close to its high so far this year of just above 7%, set in mid-January. The 30-year rate’s low point this year was in early April when it briefly dipped to 6.62%.
Economists generally expect the average rate on a 30-year mortgage to remain above 6% this year. Recent forecasts by Realtor.com and Fannie Mae project the average rate will ease to around 6.4% by the end of this year.
That may not be enough to spur a turnaround in home sales, which remain sluggish so far this year.
New data on contract signings this week suggest home sales could soften further in the near term. A seasonally adjusted index of pending U.S.
to Daniel T. Morse and Kirsti Anya Wiemokly Morse, 237 Bay Road, $470,000.
BERNARDSTON
Robert A. Smith, “aka” Robert Arlington Smith, to Brian G. Johnson, Fox Hill Road, “fka” West Mountain Road, $6,000.
BRIMFIELD
Diane Lorraine Fraind, trustee, Diane Lorraine Fraind Living Trust, trustee of, Andrew Paul Anderson, trustee, and Andrew Paul Anderson Living Trust, trustee of, to Donna L. Benoit, 37 Seventh St., $385,000.
Gail A. Davis to AR[C LLC, 54 Little Alum Road, $126,321.
BUCKLAND
Jamie M. Manning and Thomas Devon Manning to David Keppler and Jennifer Strules, 12 Wellington St., $398,000.
Matteson M. Heath and Ryan D. Hoar to Jonathan Fischer, 45 North St., $347,500.
CHARLEMONT
Barry Purinton, Douglas Purinton and Scott Purinton to John Shiels and Laura Shiels, 85 Warfield Road, $495,000.
home sales fell 0.8% in June from the previous month and was down 2.8% from June last year, according to the National Association of Realtors.
There’s usually a month or two lag between a contract signing and when the sale is finalized, which makes pending home sales a bellwether for future completed home sales.
The housing market doldrums are helping to keep the U.S. homeownership rate stuck at around 65%, as of the second quarter, according to the U.S. Census. The homeownership rate is now at its lowest level since 2019, when it was 64.2%. It has averaged 66.3% going back to 2000.
Despite rates easing in recent weeks, mortgage applications fell 3.8% last week from a week earlier to their lowest level since May, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Applications were still up 21.8% versus the same period last year.
“There is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the economy and job market, which is weighing on prospective homebuyers’ decisions,” said Joel Kan, deputy chief economist.
CHESTER
Gregory Whitlock and Kelly Whitlock to Sarah E. Eddy and Gerald S. Cox, 12 Campbell Road, $53,000.
Nathan E. Thies to James E. Zabik and Ann M. Zabik, 300 Middlefield Road, $250,000.
CHESTERFIELD
Thomas E. Dawson-Greene and Tracy L. Dawson-Greene to Michael H. McColgan, Willcutt Road, $15,000.
CHICOPEE
Andrew R. Cavanaugh, representative, and Theresa A. Cavanaugh, estate, to Jose Figueroa, 1064 James St., Unit #A7, $225,000.
Ashley Nesby and Kelly M. Callahan to Hayley King, 57 Parenteau Drive, $430,000.
Barbara Wrzesinski, Anna Hernandez, Anna Wrzesinski and Sergio Hernandez Jr., to Amanda Rossi, 34 Boileau Terrace, $350,000.
Diane T. Kowalski and John W. Kowalski to Danny Hernandez, 35 Lawndale St., $441,537.
DW Com Prop LLC, to Membos LLC, 1492 Memorial Drive, $550,000.
Emma Louise Jopson and Emma Jopson to TIHWDI LLC, 46-48 St. James Ave., $465,000.
Maria L. Albuquerque, Abilio C. Albuquerque and Abilio C. De Albuquerque to Laila Issa and Rima Issa, 798 Front St., $410,000.
Michael Rohrbacher and Suzanne Rohrbacher to Jenna Richards, 48 Clairmont Ave., $330,000.
NRES LLC, to Christopher F. Steiner, 25 Spring St., $235,000.
Pah Properties LLC, to 38 Front Street LLC, 38-52 Front St., $1,600,000.
Pah Properties LLC, to Samantha De Souza and Matthew De Souza, 27 Janine St., $360,000.
Slawomir Jakubowski and Elzbieta Jakubowska to Amanda Bailey and Kalise Valentine, 108 Boulay Circle, $401,000.
COLRAIN
W. D. Cowls Inc., to Lyme Quabbin LLC, East Catamount Hill Road, “aka” East Catmount Hill Road, $1,625,460.
W. D. Cowls Inc., to Lyme Quabbin LLC, York Road, $701,785.
CONWAY
Emma Golonka to Joshua A. Lashway and Leann McCollum, 186 Hoosac Road, $441,000.
W. D. Cowls Inc., to Lyme Quabbin LLC, Whately Glen Road, $765,746.
Deeds
DEERFIELD
Laurie A. Fitzpatrick to Zachary Julian Ballard and Anna Shields Jolliffe, 8 Thayer Street, $405,000.
W. D. Cowls Inc., to Lyme Quabbin LLC, Whately Glen Road, $765,746. Cumberland Farms Inc., successor by merger, to V. S. H. Realty Inc., to J2K Realty LLC, 2 Sugarloaf St., $195,000.
Donna M. Carew to Robyn E. Gaillard, 99 North Main St., $408,000.
EAST LONGMEADOW
Francene C. Hoy, representative, Colette J. Ross, estate, Jacqueline Colette Ross, estate, and Colette Jacqueline Ross, estate, to Jaime I. S. Thayer-Awoniyi, 47 Mayfair St., $315,000.
Kimberly A. Kehoe, Kimberly A. Turnberg and Patrick M. Kehoe to Gabriel Levine and Pierre Carriere, 232 Prospect St., $485,000. Matadormus LLC, to Christopher Jones, 199 Allen St., $400,000.
Moltenbrey Builders LLC, to Harpreet S. Wasan and Yuka F. Wasan, 2 Anna Marie Lane, $825,000.
Nicholas A. Stafford and Deana A. Waintraub Stafford to Jared Kustra and Taylor Gould, 77 Indian Spring Road, $420,000.
EASTHAMPTON
Nancy Stenberg and Garret Schenck to Przemyslaw Felis, 17 Maine Ave., $255,000.
Robert Scott Williams and John P. Williams to Robert Scott Williams, 101 Clark St., $100.
Alan C. Borowski to Carla Drew-Moyer and Robert Drew-Moyer, 9 Camelot Lane, $640,000.
David F. Tyburski to Sean Quinn, 242 Hendrick St., $261,000.
GOSHEN
Betsy L. Burnett and Francis J. Burnett to Francis J. Burnett, 558 East St., $185,000.
GRANBY
Timothy A. Brault, trustee, and Brault Irrevocable Trust to Jeffrey Curtis and Heather E. Curtis, 52 Burnett St., $454,000.
Jennifer Labonte, personal representative, and Kathleen Mary Wehr, estate, to Jennifer Labonte and Sheena Wehr, 11 Lyn Drive, $100.
William E. Johnson and Robert E. Johnson to Roxann L. Baker, Am-
herst Street, $100.
Roxann L. Baker to William E. Johnson, Robert E. Johnson and David C. Johnson, Amherst Street, $100.
Debra Lee Lauder to Paul Piquette, Paul G. Piquette, Andrea Piquette and Andrea M. Piquette, 92 Aldrich St., $362,500.
GRANVILLE
John F. Donatini and Carolyn P. Donatini to Shaun P. Terra, 73 Barnard Road, $680,000.
Joy C. Bryda to Samuel J. Houston and Olivia G. Houston, 48 Dickinson Drive, $272,000.
GREENFIELD
Georgianna M. Wiles to Gwendolyn Conrod and Stephanie Conrod, 85 Woodard Road and Woodard Road, $265,000.
Melissa M. Hawkins to Ganine Renee Sullivan, 72B Laurel St., Unit 6B, Pine Hill Park Condominium, $259,000.
Shelly A. Damon Kocot, “aka” Shelly A. Kocot, to Carly A. Easton, 322B Davis St., Unit 322-B, Townehouse Condominium, $239,000.
Ngawang Tridytsang and Nyima L. Tridytsang to Mitchell Scott Guevin and Kayla Jolene Schmitz, 142 Oakland St., $409,900.
HADLEY
Joseph J. Bye Jr., John P. Bye and Nancy A. McConkey to William Hohreiter, Gina Hohreiter, Constance Hohreiter and David Hohreiter, 8 Meadowbrook Drive, $425,000.
Matthew Olszewski and Linsey Olszewski to Agnes Ting and Gabriel Ting, 13 Laurana Lane, $559,000.
Laurie M. Simmons, Laurie M. Simmons, personal representative, and Suzzanne Beth Daneau, estate, to Michelle A. Dean, 65 Hockanum Road, $450,000.
HOLLAND
Nancy E. Lucier and Richard A. Lucier to Theresa Quinn and Harrison Quinn, 59 Wales Road, $620,000.
Nicole C. Holguin and Dor Aharony to Kevin McCleary, 12 Brandon St., $475,000.
HOLYOKE
Andrey V. Okrhimenko, Elena Okhrimenko and Andrey V. Okhrimenko to Alyssa N. Sweeney, 86 Knollwood Circle, $490,000.
Cameron Wiley to Richard Wiley, 1164 Northampton St., $555,400. Chenevert Properties LLC, to
IHI Wave LLC, 272 Walnut St., $190,000.
Della Ripa Real Estate LLC, to Chenevert Properties LLC, 272 Walnut St., $150,000.
One Holyoke Community Development Corp., OneHolyoke CDC Inc., and OneHolyoke CDC, to Katherine Colon, 299 Walnut St., $225,000.
John M. Collamore, representative, and Gail C. Flanagan, estate, to Lisa M. Echevarria, 41 Vassar Circle, $271,750.
Laureen Bronner, representative, and Marianne Duval, estate, to Narciso J. Vazquez, 1083 Homestead Ave., $275,000.
Michael T. Yelle and Jacyln M. Yelle to Romer Sullivan, 1066 Main St., $328,000.
Nancy L. Roy to Karen A. Bell, 21 Elmwood Ave., $100.
Richard C. Whiting Jr., representative, and Betsy M. Whiting, estate, to Alexandra Adams and Jordan White, 67 Park Slope, $545,000.
Riverside Development Corp., receiver, Holyoke City and Virginia Redfern, estate, to OneHolyoke Community Development Corp., 160 Pine St., $30,000.
HUNTINGTON
Travis Trout, Krystina L. Trout and Krystina L. Bucko to Jacob K. Ross and Emma DaSilva, 140 Pond Brook Road, $455,000.
LONGMEADOW
Aurea Luz Tirado Wenzel, Linda Salazar and Carlos Francisco Mendez Tandaypan to William Carrick and Michele Abu Carrick, 28 South Park Ave., $608,000.
Frederick J. Steinman, Federick J. Steinman and Marla Shiller to Nicholas Bednaz and Madeline Bednaz, 887 Maple Road, $385,000.
Ina J. Herman to Aniello J. Russo, 51 Warwick St., $360,000.
James A. Walker, trustee, Robert A. Walker Revocable Trust, trustee of, Sandra Walker and Lori Dolan to Bengt T. Hyberg III, Lauren A. Hyberg and Lauren Hyberg, 98 Coventry Lane, $675,000.
Jon F. Schoonmaker and Mary B. G. Schoonmaker to Mary G. Schoonmaker, trustee, Jon F. Schoonmaker, trustee, and Mary G. Schoonmaker Revocable Trust of, trustee of, 84 Magnolia Circle, $100.
Robert S. Richardson and Rachel A. Richardson to Alexander Louis Lonczak, 66 Woolworth St., $425,000.
Rose A. Atwood and Rose Anna Wasselin to Caitlyn M. Davis, 60 Roseland Terrace, $475,000.
Sojung K. Haag and Burritt L. Haag III, to Joseph Volk and Hannah Volk, 183 Concord Road, $1,065,000.
LUDLOW
Carlos Fernandes and Carolyn Fernandes to Hasan Capkin, 33 Briarwood Lane, $380,000.
Caryn L. Kostek, Andrew Kostek, David E. Lariviere and Kelli A. Jeffcoat to Joseph Michael Iwasinski Jr., 469 Poole St., $280,000.
Charles E. Dowd, representative, and Kathleen A. Dowd, estate, to Yocasta Lara, 43 Pleasantview St., $225,000.
Christina Raylene Ridolfi and Nathan Ridolfi to Shannon Leese, 132 James St., $365,000.
Nydia I. Ruiz to Rebecca L. Clark and Marshall J. Wright, 32 Bristol St., $274,000.
MONSON
Barbara W. Newell, Ernest Kolowrat, Michael Hughes, trustee, and Shelley Hughes Revocable Trust, trustee of, to Lucas J. Czarniecki, 42 Margaret St., $300,000.
Timothy L. Tracy, trustee, Donna M. Bailey, trustee, and 142 Upper Hampden Road Nominee Realty Trust, trustee of, to Jason Pascucci and Chelsea Brindisi, 142 Upper Hampden Road, $540,000.
Wayne A. Evans and Laurie W. Evans to Opacum Land Trust Inc., East Hill Road, $175,000.
MONTAGUE
Ariel Real Estate LLC, to DBC Real Estate LLC, 17 North Leverett Road, $450,000.
Rachael Arnold to Carolina Cay Martinez, Hannabrooke Lane, $120,000.
W. D. Cowls Inc., to Lyme Quabbin LLC, Chestnut Hill Road, $362,710.
John Shiels II, and Laura L. Shiels, “fka” Laura Lynn Churchill, to Eric Bryant Coates and Caylee Kerin Klein, 98 Turnpike Road, $355,000.
Thomas M. Richardson, trustee of the Seventh Street Realty Trust, to Emma Louise Knight, 128 7th St., $425,000.
MONTGOMERY
Anna Katharina Echtner and Michael Echtner to Emily Kassis, 56 North Road, $120,000.
NORTHAMPTON
J. Patricia Wingfield and Julia P. Wingfield to Edward L. Wingfield Jr., Suzanne W. Wilga, James A. Wingfield and Patrick Michael Wingfield, 49 Country Way, $100.
Equinox Partners LLC, to Massachusetts Land Conservation Trust Inc., 183 Main St., and Main Street Off, $1,400,000.
Robin T. Barry-King and Caitlin M. Barry-King to Harry A. George, 22 Sherman Ave., $380,000.
Peter A. Stern and Ellen McCrate, attorney-in-fact, to Constance L. Senior and Charles Nichols, 48 Northern Ave., $389,000.
Amelia S. Worsley to Heather Lynne Johns and Christopher David Johns, 53 Clark Ave., $399,000.
NORTHFIELD
W. D. Cowls Inc., to Lyme Quabbin LLC, Buzzell Place Road, $388,906.
ORANGE
50 S Main St. LLC, and Orange Equity Holdings LLC, to Accor Capital Group LLC, 50 & 58 South Main St., $120,000.
Randy J. Cochrane, trustee of 136 Brookside Realty Trust, to MPSS LLC, 136 Brookside Road, $354,000.
PALMER
C. K. Scott LLC, Kathleen M. Scott and Clifford J. Scott, estate to Remlap Rentals LLC, 55-69 Belanger St., $340,000.
Dominic Kirchner II, trustee, and Stoney Realty Trust, trustee of, to Tammy Barberio-Powell and Roy Powell, 137 Thompson St., $598,000.
Kelly A. Ambrogio, conservator, and Margaret A. Mileskie to WMass Residential LLC, 4415 High St., $215,000.
Kristine Lorrie Somers to Morgan Hann, Seanna Isaacs and Seanna E. Isaacs, 114 Longview St., $479,500. Nelson B. Pease to Adam J. Wawrzyk, 1341 Main St., $150,000. Russell R. Letner to Nathan Letner, 177 State St., $320,000.
PELHAM
Dennis E. Nazzaro and Melissa A. Nazzaro to Dennis E. Nazzaro, 364 Daniel Shays Highway, $100.
PLAINFIELD
Natalie Tkachuk and Robert K. LaPlante to Cheryl Ann Haras, 39 Stetson Ave., $90,000.
ROWE
Billy Lane Hardison and Leonda Harison to Franklin Land Trust Inc. Tunnel Road. $310,000.
SHUTESBURY
Carol J. Avonti, personal representative of the Estate of Richard Stephen Stein, “aka” Richard S. Stein, to Carolyn M. Cummings and Christopher W. Cummings, North Laurel Drive, $13,775.
Deeds
SOUTH HADLEY
Allana N. Jackson and Toussaint G. Losier to Michael Andrew Case and Katherine Rose Nocera, 27 Ashfield Lane, $685,000.
Roy Brindamour, Carole Brindamour, Celeste Silvain and Robert Silvain to Joseph H. Ely and Lillian Krause-Ely, 405 Granby Road, $320,000.
Ryan P. Spring, Ryan Spring, Sara J. Spring and Sara Spring to Catherine Dube and Rodolfo Brito Machirica, 190 Granby Road, $410,000.
Ryan P. Sweeney and Mleia C. Sweeney to Luiz A. Amaral and Flavia T. Cunha, 151 Abbey St., $465,000.
John A. Neveu to Kimberly Huber Cervantes, 11 Fairlawn St., $390,000.
Tiffany Brunelle to Anniemac Private Equity Cash2keys, 4 Alvord St., $660,000.
Daniel R. Sharp and Melissa Sharp to Padmini Das and Ananta Paine, 41 Red Bridge Lane, $810,000.
Robert J. Whelihan Sr., to NRB Roof Pros LLC, 59 Bridge St., $150,000.
Lucas Giusto, trustee, Dominic Santaniello, trustee, and Naples Home Buyers Trust to Samuel K. Kim, 10 Graves St., $336,000.
Kirsti A. Wiemokly Morse, Daniel Morse and Kirsti A. Wiemokly to Jillian Euvrard, 15 Lexington St., $325,000.
Nancy Lipinski, Nancy Lipinski, trustee, and Nancy Lipinski 2016 Revocable Trust to Shannon Kroeze and Molly Harrison, 20 Lawrence Ave., $239,900.
No Limit Assets LLC, to Chenevert Properties LLC, 13 Canal St., $220,000.
SOUTHWICK
Burhan Holdings One LLC, to Wes Properties LLC, 5 Crescent Circle, $360,000.
Jack E. Lamoureaux and Marcia A. Lamoureaux to Dennis Weaver and Rachel Weaver, 66 Powder Mill Road, $465,000.
Pamela S. Siddiqui, trustee, and Albert Plancon Family Living Trust, trustee of, to Fitzgerald Home Solutions LLC, 269 College Highway, $125,000.
SPRINGFIELD
Adister Pineda and Eduardo Monzon to Chamber Investment Group LLC, 205 Saint James Ave., $123,500.
Alexander Perez and Jose M.
Coiscou to Roxanne Buckle, Myrtle Scott-Robinson and Malik Morgent, 19 Woodrow St., $445,000.
Antonio G. Daniele, Romano M. Daniele and Maria G. Daniele to Patrick A. Ajunwa, 362 Page Boulevard, $235,000.
BHO Realty LLC, to Jaime Harris, NS Switzer Avenue, $295,000.
Brandon McCloud and Brandon McCloud Sr., to Home Savers Group LLC, 56 Yale St., $225,000.
Bryan G. McCarthy and Alice E. McCarthy to Dominic Kirchner II, trustee, and Lumtri Realty Trust, trustee of, 111 Malibu Drive, $154,350.
Gitsit Real Property BBPLC1 LLC, to Salim Abdoo, 181 Freeman St., $180,500.
Catherine W. MacGovern to Myrna Colon, Jennifer Stambovsky and Modesto Cintron, 6-8 Rosemont St., $390,000.
Cedar Investment Group LLC, to Shalimar Mejia, 12-14 Kendall St., $500,000.
Chrissy L. Ivas to RG Main & Oak LLC, 24 Davis St., $358,000.
Denise N. Hurley, Denise N. Ewing and Kevin A. Hurley to Fumi Realty Inc., 59 Piedmont St., $100,000.
Dominic Santaniello, trustee, Lucas Giusto, trustee, and Naples Home Buyers Trust, trustee of, to Juan A. Rodriguez Baez, 83 Buckingham St., $371,000.
Emtay Inc., to Sean Kavanagh, 4345 Longfellow Terrace, $465,000.
Gemini Town Homes LLC, to Anton Aleksandrovich Kudrya, 41 Morris St., Unit 104, $227,000.
Gemini Town Homes LLC, to Daniel Moye, 80 Central St., Unit 303, $170,000.
Gladysh Capital LLC, and Gladysh Capital II LLC, to Homeland Real Estate Investment Group LLC, 824826 Belmont Ave., $500,000.
Hassan Mahdi, representative, and Lisa Ann Oyola, estate, to Yasser Mahdy, 56 Silas St., $203,000.
Heriberto Rivera to Larinso Saunders, 47 Van Buren Ave., $365,000.
JJJ17 LLC, to Merinor Simelus and Finante Simelus, 612-614 White St., $453,000.
Kirsyann Segarra, Kirsy Segarra Lassalle and Briannah Mercier to Eduardo J. Monarca, 3 Balboa Drive, $350,000.
Lachenauer LLC, to Lianexis De Jesus Burgos and Ana D. Burgos, 28 Bog Hollow Road, $297,500.
Linda J. Belton Stevenson, representative, and Percy Rand Belton Sr., estate, to Nelida Rivera Negron, 21 Chester St., $128,000.
Luis A. Villanueva, Carmen M. Villanueva and Luis A. Villanuewva to Rafael Lendof Polanco, 37 Eagle St., $480,000.
Marilyn A. Larramee to Bobby Corona, Joseph Urso and Loren Urso, 145 Homestead Ave., $376,500.
Marshall G. Conklin to Laura McCarthy, 24 Pearl Lane, $426,000.
Martany Cortes to Moriah E. Coleman, 125-127 Santa Barbara St., $340,000.
Posiadlosc LLC, to Chelsea Wilson, 33-35 Claremont St., $405,000.
Phyllis Lunney Aftab & Marc Aftab Joint Revocable Trust 2024, trustee of, Phyllis Lunney Aftab, trustee, and Marc Aftab, trustee, to Allan E. Agueda Martinez, 38 Palmer Ave., $465,000.
Tracey Troung to Brigett Torres, 40 Fenimore Boulevard, $354,900. Veteran Stan LLC, to Anthony N. Stack, 124 Hudson St., $300,000.
SUNDERLAND
James S. Bastien to Donald E. Wysocki, 15 South Silver Lane, $380,000.
Michael M. Trosin, trustee of the Mary I. Trosin Irrevocable Trust, to Yueyang Chu and Meichen Wang, 18 Pine Court, $720,000.
WALES
Porfirio N. Espinosa to Michael Moran, 12 Haynes Hill Road, $490,000. Steven Valle, Sheila Valle, Sheila Cabot and Sheila Chabot to Russell Jacob Wigen and Suzanne F. Wigen, 53 Hollow Road, $650,000.
WARE
Joseph M. Mitko Jr., to Richard Warren Brown, 250 Belchertown Road, $310,000.
Dominic Kirchner II, trustee, and Dorcas Realty Trust to Melissa Asikainen, 7 Second Ave., $335,000.
Tiffany L. Girard, personal representative, and John J. Curylo Jr., estate, to Kyle J. Champoux and Ashley N. Champoux, 5 1st Ave., and 5 First Ave., $265,000.
Eree LLC, to Ney Quintana Orozco and Alfredo Figueroa Jimenez Sr., 32 East Court, $300,000.
Jay Frolick, trustee, Rosalie Frolick, trustee, and 76 Beaver Road Realty Trust to Sean P. Astle and Sheena Astle, 76 Beaver Road, $500,000.
WARWICK
John Kari to Al V. Borelli, Orange Road, $53,000.
W. D. Cowls Inc., to Lyme Quabbin LLC, Buzzell Place Road, $388,906.
WENDELL
W. D. Cowls Inc., to Lyme Quabbin LLC, Kemp Field Road, $127,860.
WEST SPRINGFIELD
71 Park Ave. LLC, to Park 71 LLC, 71 Park Ave., $800,000.
Ashley Puls to Steven McFarlin, 80 Brush Hill Ave., Unit 19, $205,000.
David F. Piangerelli to Meredith Noyes and Brian Noyes, 168 Windsor St., $285,000.
Denise A. Capone, representative, Denise A. Germani, representative, Diane. Uliana and Louis R. Germani, estate, to IMV Motor LLC, 78 Hillcrest Ave., $265,000.
Gary E. Bailleul and Ashley Gloria Bailleul to Yam K. Ghaley and Chandra Ghalley, 168 Wolcott Ave., $369,000.
J. R. Real Estate LLC, to H&D Venture LLC, 85 Elm St., $1,200,000.
Joan S. Lewandowski, Lisa K. Lewandowski and Launa H. Moran to Tae Hun Kim and Misoon Kim, 136 Butter Nut Hollow Road, $370,000.
Julie E. Dowd to Sarah Jessica Liquorman, 63 Hale St., $416,000.
Malia Homebuyers LLC, to Micaelle Martin and Brian Martin, 29 Healy St., $350,000.
Marisol Aponte and Robert W. Daignault to Karol Reilly, 80 Brush Hill Ave., Unit 33, $205,000.
McKenzie Brothers Realty LLC, to Travaughn Josey, 134 Hampden St., $339,900.
Ronald E. Johnson and Karen E. Sullivan-Johnson to Nicholas Kraver and Laura E. Kraver, 36 Apple Ridge Road, $590,000.
SeaJay Group LLC, to Lake Rentals LLC, 622 Westfield St., $268,000.
West Co. Investments LLC, to Craig R. Authier, Somerset Heights, Lot 1, $75,000.
West Co. Investments LLC, to WestMass Land Acquisitions LLC, Somerset Heights, Lot 2, $100,000.
William J. Weckerly and Christina Francoeur to Werley Teixeira De Oliveira and Andrea L. Oliveira, 33 Wilder Terrace, $248,000.
WESTFIELD
Camilla J. Bucko and Camilla J. Panek to Travis Trout, Krystina Trout and Krystina L. Trout, 20 Bennett Road, $320,000.
Charlotte Rosato, representative, and Paul C. Rosato, estate, to Michael Achatz Jr., 549 Russell Road, Unit 12D, $165,000.
Christopher J. Rogers and Maria Eugenia Davalos Rogers to Travis Rogers, 150 Hillside Road, Unit 2, $230,000.
Dana A. Lecrenski to Oleksandr O. Moshkivsky and Yelena A. Moshkivsky, O West Road, $125,000.
Danylo Shmyglya and Kateryna Shmyglya to Meagan Ray-Novak and Dawn Murie Ray-Novak, 400 Loomis St., $410,000.
Francis L. Blanchard, trustees, John H. Blanchard, trustee, and Francis E. Blanchard Revocable Indenture of Trust of, trustee of, to Amanda Drees and Matthew Drees, 45 Yankee Circle, $415,000.
Jared M. Materas and Casey Materas to Richard Rodriguez, 12 Woodmont St., $352,000.
Leroy R. Clink Jr., Heather E .Schnopp, Jennifer L. Ciollaro, Leroy R. Clink, Leroy R. Clink Sr., and Terry R. Clink to Rose Majane and Kimberly Majane, 291 Russellville Road, $540,000.
Lindsey Litwak, Lindsey A. Hughes and Sherry Ziemba to Sylvia A. Ciborowski and Tyler J. Carrier, 207 Belanger Drive, $285,000.
Maria C. Letasz to Philip Stranathan and Rebeca Stranathan, 120 West Silver St., $480,000.
Mary Lou Zanolli to Joselito Reyes and Elizabeth Reyes, 299 Shaker Road, $335,000.
Michael P. Dupuis and Susan M. Dupuis to Vladimir Koshmar, East Mountain Road, Lot 5, $150,000.
Richard A. Sanders and Rita T. Sanders to Joshua Charles Towse and Jordyn Sanders, 71 Hagan Ave., $180,000.
Roman Drobnyy to Henry . Bisbee IV, 3 Bayberry Lane, $425,000. WS & Sons Realty LLC, to Viktor Stepanchuk and Olesia Stepanchuk, 41 Claremont St., $362,000.
WESTHAMPTON
Simone Prystowski to Michael Broussard, 356 Northwest Road, $395.000.
Stephanie Heller, trustee, Creek Family Trust and Stephanie A. Heller, trustee, to EDS Enterprises LLC, 105 Reservoir Road, $152,000.
WHATELY
W. D. Cowls Inc., to Lyme Quabbin LLC, Chestnut Mountain Road, $129,667.
WILBRAHAM
AC Homebuilding LLC, to Marilyn L. Champagne and Sheri L. Champagne, Sandalwood Drive, $771,045.
Edwin C. Satter, representative, Laurie E. Satter, representative, Marjorie N. Agerton, estate, Marjorie N. Van Brocklyn, estate, and Marjorie Nieske Agerton, EST, to Giovanni Solivan-Lebron and Roselyn Mestre, 56 Springfield St., $349,000.
Kara L. Rice to Steven J. Sasur and Jennifer C. Sasur, 4 Oakridge Drive, $525,000.
Kenyon J. Porter and Barbara Porter to Suzanne Hangasky, 1032 Tinkham Road, $344,500.
Let kids create their own garden
Tips for instilling a love for growing things
By Jessica Damiano Associated Press
When I was a kid, my friends and I spent long summer days outdoors, picking daisies, observing roly-poly (also known as pill) bugs, holding caterpillars and trying to catch fireflies (lightning bugs).
It’s still not hard to entice the under-5 set to make mudpies, smell flowers and eat string beans off the vine, but as children get older and turn to screens, nature exploration often falls to the bottom of their boredom-buster lists.
With a little creativity, however, parents can nurture an interest in the great outdoors and inspire a lifelong love for gardening. The key is starting kids young — and giving them ownership.
Let them pick the plants
Take children to the nursery and let each decide what they would like to grow.
Annuals and perennials should be limited only by the site’s conditions (sunny? poor drainage?) and their
non-toxicity (children tend to put things in their mouths). Leaves and stems of tomato, potato and rhubarb, for instance, are toxic, so if you grow them, you’ll need to monitor little ones closely (if you’re uncertain about a plant, call the national Poison Control center at 1-800-222-1222 for guidance).
Otherwise, let the kids have complete control. Vegetables should be ones they like to eat; they’ll take pride in a meal that includes ingredients they grew themselves. Growing edibles can also play a role in influencing a lifetime of healthy food choices.
While you’re at the nursery, pick up some child-size rakes, hoes, spades and gloves — or scout for used ones at neighborhood garage sales or online marketplaces. Ordinary kitchen spoons can also be used for digging.
Let them lay out the garden and name it
Back at home, let each child use a yardstick to measure a 3-square-foot plot of land to call their own. If you don’t have garden space, give them a container (be sure to poke drainage holes in the bottom).
Name the area or container for the
child and let them design a sign that reads, for instance, “Olivia’s Garden” or “Noah’s Nasturtiums.” Let them name their individual plants, too. They will feel protective over them and take pride in their growth.
Offer advice on plant care
Teach kids that gardens need to eat and drink like they do — and that gardens, too, get cranky when they’re hungry or parched. Show them the symptoms, then let them figure out when their plants need water or fertilizer. Observe the sun’s movement across the sky together and, if possible, situate the plot where others can admire it. Be available to offer advice, but don’t insist on perfection: Teach children not to step on plants, but let them get dirty. Mistakes are often the best teachers, so, if they insist, allow them to pick an unripe tomato. They will quickly learn that an unripe tomato doesn’t taste as good as a ripe one, and that an early harvest is wasteful. The same goes for immature potatoes, garlic, carrots and radishes. These are the lessons that stick.
Hang a calendar somewhere visible — in their bedroom or on the refrigerator — to schedule watering and weeding. Let them take responsibility for checking it and alerting you when
those tasks need to be done. Crossing off completed items will also impart a feeling of accomplishment — I know it does for me.
Gardening offers food and flowers, yes, but it also teaches patience, responsibility and the satisfaction that comes from nurturing something over an extended period.
It’s also relaxing and creates precious one-on-one time that they’ll remember long after the flowers have faded. And that’s the best harvest of all.
But vinegar and salt, especially when used frequently, can degrade concrete, brick and some kinds of natural stone, and the runoff can affect roots of nearby plants. It’s safer to plan on whisking away the weeds periodically with a string trimmer. There’s also the herbicide option, which is easy but carries health and environmental risks. And it won’t give you instant results, so it’s not something to try when you are rushing to prepare for guests. It’s safer to avoid spraying and pull or cut off the weeds. To help keep new weed seeds from sprouting, if you have sand-filled joints between brick, pavers or flagstones, consider replacing the loose sand with polymeric sand, such as Techniseal EZ
Deeds
Kimberly A. Crevier and David B. Crevier to Ryan Spring and Sara Spring, 35 Sunnyside Terrace, $440,000.
Mark A. Cloutier and Darlene A. Cloutier to Andrew Flye and Carolyn De Jesus Martinez, 2 Cedar Oak Drive, $650,000.
WILLIAMSBURG
Equinox Partners LLC, to Massachusetts Land Conservation
Sand. Polymeric sand comes as a dry mixture of sand and polymer. After you add it to the joints and sprinkle on water, following directions on the label, the polymer works as glue to bind the sand particles together. Besides helping to
block weed seeds from sinking in and growing, the polymer also stabilizes the sand, so it doesn’t wash out of joints. It also helps keep ants from tunneling through and carrying away the sand. To replace the rotted wood in the joints
between concrete slabs, you can add polyurethane caulk to seal the gaps and help prevent weeds. The joints need to be cleaned thoroughly beforehand — a pressure washer and a crack weeder would help with this — and allowed to dry. If the joints are wider than ½-inch, use a ropelike backer rod to fill the bottom of the gaps.
Top the rod with caulk designed to bond to porous concrete, such as Sikaflex Concrete Fix No-Sag Concrete Crack Filler. A-1 Concrete Leveling, a company that specializes in lifting concrete slabs that have sunk or shifted, has instructions for applying the caulk on its website.
Trust Inc., 183 Main St., and Main Street Off, $1,400,000. Jamison B. MacLachlan, personal representative, and Patricia Marie MacLachlan, estate, to Gunther Jamison Rohrer and Trianda R. Keramidas, 21 Unquomonk Road, $805,000.
Todd O’ Brien and April O’Brien to Martha Brown, 5 Dewey Circle, $430,000.
Jedadiah O. Henry, Stephen Henry and Alexander Henry to Tyler Mattson, 370 Buffington Hill Road, $330,000. Joanne Howlett, personal representative, and James W. Mendelsohn, estate, to Ann Marie Perrone, Vito Perrone and Natasha Perrone, 398 Old Post Road, $888,100.
WORTHINGTON
Most weeding tools can’t help you extract broken-off roots because the tools are too wide to reach down into the joints. (ADOBE STOCK IMAGE)
This image provided by Jessica Martin shows young children tending to a garden bed in Islip Terrace, New York.
(JESSICA MARTIN VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS)
MORTGAGEES’ REAL ESTATE AUCTIONS TO BE SOLD ON THEIR RESPECTIVE PREMISE
MONDAY
AUGUST 4, 2025
11:00AM-SPRINGFIELD, MA 136 MARSDEN STREETDEPOSIT $10,000
MONDAY
AUGUST 18, 2025
9:00 AM - AGAWAM, MA 8 ALEXANDER DRIVEDEPOSIT $10,000
TERMSOFSALES:DEPOSITSINTHEAMOUNTS SPECIFIEDABOVEARETO BEPAIDBYTHEPURCHASER(S)ATTHETIME ANDPLACEOFEACH SALEBYCERTIFIEDOR BANKCHECK.ALLBALANCESDUEARETOBE PAIDWITHIN30DAYSOF EACHINDIVIDUALSALE. OTHERTERMS,IFANY, TOBEANNOUNCEDAT EACH SALE.
CALL OUR AUCTION SCHEDULE LINE AT (617) 964-1282 FOR A LIST OF THE CURRENT DAY’S AUCTIONS AND VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.commonwealth auction.com FOR CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED SCHEDULING INFORMATION AND ADDITIONAL SCHEDULING
oriental rugs, room size, runners, mats and others. If you need a rug for your home or office this is your best opportunity to purchase one at auction prices.
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