LandVest Corporate Headquarters: Ten Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02109     Phone:(617) 723-1800
 
Apr
29
Real Estate Broker Lanse Robb is top Broker on Boston’s North Shore for 2010
By LandVest
 

Lanse Robb continues as 2010 top broker in Northshore, MA

According to MLS (multiple listing system) Lanse Robb is the number one broker for Essex County/Boston North in 2010 with high-end home sales in Manchester by the Sea, Beverly, Marblehead, Wenham, Hamilton, and Gloucester.  In 2010, (documented through MLS) Lanse listed and sold over $52,000,000 in high-end real estate (high-end defined by MLS as listings above $500,000); Lanse is able to achieve such record breaking numbers year-after-year through his 20+ years of knowledge and expertise in high-end real estate on the North Shore. Not only does Lanse broker fine homes and estates, but he has become a market leader advising both buyers and sellers on current real estate trends, feasibility studies, opinions of value, land planning, and permitting and regulatory oversight.   LandVest’s affiliation with Christie’s International Real Estate, has broadened his international network significantly drawing in buyers from Dubai, London, and Switzerland. “For the short term, quality, well priced properties will continue to sell to well educated, broad based, buyers however properties may not see an increase in values until the supply of listings begins to tighten, says Robb.” 

 
Robb’s market analysis is based on statistical data and solid, in-depth, experiential knowledge.  His quick summary of the North Shore real estate market continues, “Opportunities to purchase high-end properties well below their initial asking prices, record low Jumbo Loan rates and a surge in buyers from overseas fueled the last year’s marketplace, yet the average sale price remained constant.  2011 continues to be a competitive marketplace for sellers.  Properties that are unique, well maintained and properly priced will attract the educated buyers mostly from outside the local markets.” 

Kragsyde, often mispelled as Kragside

Kragsyde Waterfront Compound is located at 27 Smith's Point Road, Manchester, MA 01944 is just one of Robb's extraordinary North Shore Real Estate listings for sale.

For more information on Boston’s North Shore real estate market, contact Lanse Robb (lrobb@landvest.com) or visit the Lanse Robb website  www.lanserobb.com.

Click to view Lanse Robb’s current real estate listings in Beverly, Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Topsfield, and Wenham, MA.  If you are searching for a home, be sure to contact Lanse for information on private listings or listings not yet offered through MLS.

PrintFriendly
 
Apr
28
Investing in Timberland – Part 3 of 3: Timberland Ownership Trends Shows increase in Family Forest Ownerships.
By LandVest
 

Landvest Today’s blog entry was brought to you by Daniel Tesini– LandVest -Timberland Division Project Manager and Gary Bahlkow, Director of LandVest’s Northern Timberland Transaction Group.

Private sale of over 1,000,000 acres supports trend of increases in high-net worth individuals making significant purchases of Timberland.

As traditional forest product companies continue to divest themselves of their land, institutional investors, TIMO’s, REIT’s and a handful of wealthy individuals have filled the void and picked up much of this acreage. More recently, there has been a significant increase in the number of family forest ownerships (e.g. high net worth families and individuals, trusts, estates, family partnerships and other unincorporated groups).  For example, family forestland ownerships increased by 500,000 acres between 1993 to 2006 across the northern United States alone (as broadly defined by USFS).  These high net worth individuals and families have many reasons for purchasing timberland, including aesthetic and recreational amenities, family legacy, and timber production – but increasingly, the importance of land as an investment in and of itself is one of those reasons.  See the Northern Journal of Applied Forestry, Family Forest Owner Trends in the Northern United States; North. J. Appl. For. 28(1) 2011. Available to SAF members or for purchase at: http://saf.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/saf/njaf/2011/00000028/00000001/art00003

LandVest has seen exceptional momentum rolling into 2011 along this trend.  The timberland asset class has continued to gain favor amongst the high net worth family segment – including some of the smartest and most wealthy Americans (see The Land Report, Malone’s Million, Spring 2011 available by subscription at: http://www.landreport.com/2011/03/the-land-report-spring-2011/  Their reasons for investing in timberland include diversification, capital preservation, generational wealth transfer, legacy and hard asset allocation. In addition, it is widely known that significant capital has been raised for timberland investment placements by institutional buyers – much of which will begin working its way into the marketplace later in 2011. LandVest is well acquainted with the high net worth families and their advisors as well as the institutional buyers. We know the asset class and have access to most of the important participants. LandVest stands poised to represent the best interests of our clients at a time of exciting timberland investment opportunities and rapidly changing ownership patterns.
Sources:
1. http://moneymorning.com/2011/02/25/timber-investing-inflation-hedge-pays-off. 
2. Brett J. Butler & Zhao Ma; Family Forest Owner Trends in the Northern United States; Society of American Foresters, Northern Journal of Applied Forestry;  North. J. Appl. For. 28(1) 2011
3. http://www.investmentu.com/2005/January/20050107.html
4. http://blogs.forbes.com/monteburke/2011/03/10/john-malone-largest-private-landowner-in-the-u-s-speaks/
5. http://www.landreport.com/2011/03/the-land-report-spring-2011/

See part one of this three part series by clicking on this link: Investing in Timberland: Part 1 of 3: Why Invest in Timberland

See part two of this three part series by clicking on this link: Investing in Timberland: Part 2 of 3: Why the time is right to invest in Timberland

Click to view public  Timberland Investment Opportunities  or view contacts below for private offerings. 

Contact Gary Bahlkow (gbalkow@landvest.com) if you are interested in selling your timberland properties or if you are interested in buying  timberland properties for sale in New England, NY, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes  and Canadian Maritimes.   

Contact Joe Taggart (jtaggart@landvest.com) if you are interested in buying or selling timberland investment properties in the southern or western states.

PrintFriendly
 
Apr
26
Squam Lake, NH Real Estate – An Opportunity to Build a Boathouse Where No One Else Can
By LandVest
 

Landvest This blog entry was brought to you by Kristin Claire who assists buyers and sellers of extraordinary New Hampshire real estate. 

We have written often in this blog about the dreams realized by remarkable real estate. Joe Cambi took more than 10 years to assemble the land and build Indian Portage, a remarkable Squam Lake waterfront estate in Moultonborough, New Hampshire.  Finally, the crowning jewel of the property is in place.  The boathouse foundation has just been completed by Watermark Marine Construction.  Complete plans designed by noted Architect Chris Williams are available for a new owner to finish the project. 
New boathouses are nigh on impossible to build on Squam Lake, yet they are the signatures of great waterfront properties. The boathouse was just part of Cambi’s vision to create a classic family compound. The property has a distinguished lineage: originally purchased in 1905 by Louise Schrafft (William F. Schrafft & Sons Confectionary) and her husband Robert Herman Otto Schulz, this was the first of four properties purchased on Squam Lake by the Schrafft family. Another of the Schrafft built Squam homes was sold by LandVest in November of 2010 and was the highest residential sale in the state for that year (see blog LINK….). The Schulz Family retained ownership of the property until the sale to Joe Cambi.  In addition to purchasing the Schulz property in pieces, Cambi was instrumental in the protection of Pine Hill Farm, a 100+ acre farm which directly abuts Indian Portage to insure the future of serene Bean Cove. 

 

 

 

 

Joe Cambi’s stunning recreation of a classic Adirondack style lodge includes 6,000 square feet of living space, soaring beamed ceilings and stunning stonework.  Click for more detail on the Estate . In addition to the main house and planned boathouse, Mr. Cambi also completely rebuilt one of the Schrafft family cottages in the same Adirondack style as the main house. Perched on the water’s edge, the one room cottage includes a stone fireplace, electricity and a deck built over the lake. 
Before English settlement to the area, lakes and rivers were connected by well-traveled paths called portages by Native Americans.  The property has been named Indian Portage after one such path that ran through the property connecting Squam Lake to Lake Winnipesaukee via Wakondah Pond and Lake Kanasatka.  Abenaki artifacts found on the property are now on display at the Harvard Museum.  To honor this history, Cambi commissioned a local sculptor to create life-size Indian statues tucked in the woods so as to appear to walk quietly along the trail. 
Indian Portage offers Squam Lake Waterfront living at the highest standard, with stunning new construction respectful of the remarkable history of the property. 

Click for more information of Indian Portage on Squam Lake, NH

Contact Kristin Claire at Kclaire@landvest.com

PrintFriendly
 
Apr
25
Codman Community Farms, another great reason to buy a home in Lincoln, MA
By LandVest
 

The Farming Tradition Thrives in Lincoln, MA

Codman Community Farms, a working and educational farm, has been operating for more than 150 years in the beautiful rural area of Lincoln, MA.

Codman Community Farms provides a living connection to our agricultural past. The purpose of CCF is to teach and advance farming practices and to maintain rural beauty in Lincoln, Massachusetts. This working farm raises cows, goats, sheep and pigs for meat, sells eggs and grows hay on over 130 acres throughout town. It also provides educational programs for children and adults, rents garden plots, and serves as an important community gathering place.

The original Codman family farm, sometimes referred to as “The Grange”, was established in the early nineteenth century on the former estate of Chambers Russell, one of Lincoln’s founders.  The farm had been in continuous operation for over 150 years, with respectable dairy, vegetable and fruit operations.  It was one of only a handful of working farms in Lincoln remaining after the Second World War.  When Dorothy Codman died in 1973, her will provided for the transfer of the barn and acreage to the Town of Lincoln, and Codman Community Farms was established.

Founded in 1973 by citizens interested in continuing the farming tradition of Lincoln, CCF is a non-profit agricultural enterprise.  It began as a part-time, volunteer operation and over the years has grown, thanks to legions of devoted volunteers.

Visit Codman Farms at 58 Codman Road, Lincoln, MA 01773

Phone: 781-259-0456 Email: info@codmanfarm.org

Photos by Stewart Young.  See more beautiful photos of Codman Farm by Ellen Morgan.

Click here to view properties for sale in Boston and Boston’s suburbs.

Landvest This blog entry was brought to you by Stewart Young.  Whether it’s an elegant Greek Revival in Lincoln, a 130 acre farm in Medfield, or a waterfront summer estate on Stage Harbor in Chatham, Stewart advises buyers and sellers of some of the most distinctive properties in Massachusetts with a focus on the Metro West area of Boston and Cape Cod.

For more information on properties in Lincoln, the Boston metro-west area, or Cape Cod, contact Stewart Young at syoung@landvest.com. Or, click here to view Stewart Young’s Contact Information.

PrintFriendly
 
Apr
24
North Shore Real Estate News: 114 Larch Row, Wenham, MA is Quintessential Gentleman’s Farm and Is Currently For Sale
By LandVest
 

Larch Row – A traditional Gentleman’s Farm


Situated in Wenham, Massachusetts, one of Boston Magazines “Best Places to Live in 2010” stands this quintessential gentleman’s farm on over 6 private acres.  Larch Row is a winding country road, well known for its large estates and farms with rolling lawns and open meadowland.  This traditional home features a gracious New England Style Colonial built in 2000 with extensive professional landscaping, designed in cooperation with award winning Colombian Landscape Architect Carmen Elise Cabal, with granite steps to pool, rock stairwells, mature trees and plantings, flower beds, fruit trees, and organic vegetable garden. 

The property is ideal in size, not too big and not too small for the family seeking privacy with a move in ready home with all the bells and whistles and the ability to have two horses, farm animals and an organic garden.  114 Larch Row, near the Longham Reservoir with access to bridle trails, is surrounded by forest and meadowland — a true haven for wildlife, while at the same time providing convenient access to town, beaches, highways, and the city thereby offering the best of all worlds.

Click for more information on 114 Larch Row, Wenham, MA

Click Link to Contact Lanse Robb

Click link to view more North Shore Real Estate for Sale

 

 

PrintFriendly
 
Apr
21
North Shore, MA Real Estate News: Rare Hilltop Victorian by-the-Sea
By LandVest
 

The opportunity seldom arises to own a classic seaside Victorian in Manchester-by-the-Sea on the highest portion of Smith’s Point, a private enclave featuring many of the most distinguished oceanfront mansions on Boston’s gold coast. In fact, this architectural masterpiece is currently the only property for sale in this highly sought-after and exclusive region of the North Shore. The Rogers-Stanwood House, also named Weathering Heights, was built for Louisa W. Rodgers, widow of Charles C. Rogers, by Roberts and Hoare, well-known architects for many of the summer estates built in the late 1800s on Tuck’s Point, Smith’s Point and the surrounding coastline. It is rare to find a home of this era in such impeccable condition. The current owners have carefully renovated the home to restore its original elegance, while adding all the modern amenities. There are many distinguishable architectural details throughout the residence, including the grand two-story foyer with quartered oak throughout the entry hall and an ornate, oversize fireplace. The professionally landscaped grounds with mature plantings and perennials showcase a heated ocean-facing pool, clay tennis court and gracious granite and cobblestone courtyard. A carriage house with a generous three-car garage and one-bedroom apartment above is approved for use as accessory living quarters for an employee. As with all properties on Smith’s Point, the owners have access to Smith’s Point’s beach (Long Beach) and dock association.

With only three owners since 1885, this impressive seaside estate, is a true generational asset, and a rare find in this desirable neighborhood. 

Click to view more information about Smith’s Point Estate by the Sea

Click for more North Shore Real Estate listings for Sale

PrintFriendly
 
Apr
21
Private Properties – Perspectives on Luxury Real Estate – Mid-Coast Maine
By LandVest
 

Landvest This blog post is brought to you by Ruth Kennedy Sudduth, who, as the director of LandVest’s Residential Brokerage Division, has a unique perspective on the luxury real estate market.  This regular feature will chronicle special places and give readers insights on New England’s high end real estate market. 

One of the great pleasures of directing the LandVest Residential Real Estate Group is seeing the truly remarkable properties we have for sale, and understanding their appeal through the eyes of our team of experts in each regional market. LandVest has offices and experts in the markets where the most special properties exist. The best real estate tends to be in locations where beauty and sense of place have been recognized for generations, making for truly remarkable combinations of site and houses. This series of blog entries explores some of these special places and some of the remarkable private properties hidden within them.

On up the coast to Camden and Rockport to meet with Terry Sortwell and Shannon Thompson. Camden’s streets tip and wrap along the rocky shoreline of the harbor, with gaps between the buildings opening to glimpses of lobster boats and moored cruising schooners.

Camden Harbor Waterfront is a rare investment opportunity with a variety of possibilities, and the best of Camden’s waterfront vistas.

Though the population bulges in the summer, the year-round community is vital enough to support a thriving village life, with most shops and top-notch restaurants staying open through the seasons, and several noteworthy conferences and recreational and cultural events happening through fall, winter and spring. Including internationally known Pop!Tech, the highly regarded foreign affairs symposium Camden Conference , the Camden Snow Bowl  hosting the National Toboggan Championships, and the renovated historic Strand Cinema in Rockland, bringing first run movies, nationally recognized music acts, and the Met Opera live in HD.

My favorite place may not be the most glamorous, but the Boynton McKay coffee shop, located in an old pharmacy, serves up amazing sticky buns and thick, homemade French toast. At the other end of the spectrum, Francine Bistro just down the street resonates to a cooler downtown vibe, with excellent seasonal menus well-presented.  Life in the Camden/Rockport region is civilized, with amenities ranging from the excellent Bay Chamber concert series to a great pool at the Penobscot Bay YMCA  for lap swimming.  Road biking is fantastic along the back roads that fan out from town, with harbor vistas shifting to quiet lakes and open farmland. The hills above Camden have wonderful hiking, with the reward of big views of Penobscot Bay when you get to the top.

The LandVest office in Camden  is in a beautiful harbor location, tucked up in an old sail loft down near the waterfront.  Above the harbor, climbing creaking stairs, it feels a world away from the generic American strip. Camden is a base for exploring Penobscot Bay, a huge protected bay dotted with islands, perfect for leisurely exploration by sail, motor, or paddle. The landscape is varied, with each change of aspect yielding another beautiful view. Because Maine coast real estate is all about the water and the views, exploring real estate for sale by boat, including private islands for sale, is the way to go.

Terry’s deceptively simple work boat is big and safe, though elegant and comfortable, and it makes for the best possible views of the great properties which would otherwise be hidden from view at the end of long driveways. Island living is one of coastal Maine’s great pleasures, and LandVest has listed and sold many remarkable properties. Island properties are the Camden office’s specialty, and Terry is arguably the region’s most experienced, knowledgeable and qualified broker for island real estate. The recent sale of Caldwell Island near Port Clyde—another record-setting island sale—is a fine example. Current listing Davis Island, also in Muscongus Bay, offers an exceptional opportunity of the highest quality for a buyer seeking a turn-key private island. The Grace Estate   is an island property of equally exceptional quality offering a very different experience. A historic early 20thc. “cottage” on Islesboro, the property encompasses 8.8± acres at the end of a private peninsula with spectacular views of the Camden Hills and down Penobscot Bay to open ocean. In addition to the 8-bedroom year-round residence, the estate also includes a guest house, boat house, deepwater dock, professional putting green, and saltwater swimming pool.

With waterfront properties ranging from understated oceanfront cottages to impeccably appointed private estates, Maine island properties offer a summer experience like no other.

Click below to view more Camden, Maine Real Estate for Sale

Central Coast Maine real estate for sale

Blue Hill real estate for sale

Pemaquid Peninsula properties for sale

Maine Island properties for sale

To view properties throughout maine:  Distinctive Maine Real Estate

PrintFriendly
 
Apr
20
Investing in Timberland – Part 2 of 3: Why The Time Is Right To Make A Timberland Investment
By LandVest
 

Landvest Today’s blog entry was brought to you by Daniel Tesini– LandVest -Timberland Division Project Manager and Gary Bahlkow, Director of LandVest’s Northern Timberland Transaction Group.

Why NOW is the time for Timberland Investment:
In addition to the general appeal of investing in timberland (timber beats inflation, outperforms the stock market, and offers true diversification), there are several reasons why timberland remains an excellent investment at this point in time. First, as housing markets recover and a middle class emerges across the developing world (e.g. China) demand for wood products will rise – and in fact demand is expected to double in the next thirty years.

  1. 1. Timber is a renewable resource, but supply is limited by available acreage and biological growth. 
  2. 2. Second, timberland is currently cheaper than many other investment options including stocks, bonds, real estate and other commodities. 
  3. 3. Third, interest rates are extremely low right now, providing a window of opportunity to finance long term investment with low-cost money.
  4. 4. Finally, the continuing devaluation of the US dollar is likely to inflate the value of commodity-producing assets (e.g. timberland).

These last two points were taken directly from a recent Forbes Magazine interview with the Nation’s largest private landowner – available at: http://blogs.forbes.com/monteburke/2011/03/10/john-malone-largest-private-landowner-in-the-u-s-speaks/. The interview not only touches upon the current appeal of timberland investment, but also serves to illustrate the changing patterns of forestland ownership.

See part one of this three part series by clicking on this link: Investing in Timberland: Part 1 of 3: Why Invest in Timberland

Click to view public  Timberland Investment Opportunities  or view contacts below for private offerings. 

Contact Gary Bahlkow (gbalkow@landvest.com) for current timberland properties for sale in MD, ME, MI, NY, PA, or VT.   Also contact Gary Bahlkow if you are interested in buying or selling timberland investment properties in the mid atlantic, northern or midwestern states.

Contact Joe Taggart (jtaggart@landvest.com) if you are interested in buying or selling timberland investment properties in the southern or western states.

PrintFriendly
 
Apr
15
LandVest Featured Broker: Terrence Maitland, a Boston Area Record-Setting Realtor
By LandVest
 

LandVest is proud of its highly qualified team of real estate specialists who are dedicated to being the most knowledgeable in their field.  Read these often and you are sure to see a pattern of individuals going above and beyond what others have attempted and never achieved. 

Terrance Maitland, LandVest has served his clients well by consistently breaking residential sales records.

In over 20 years as a real estate broker in Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and the western suburbs of Boston, LandVest’s Terrence “Terry” Maitland has made a habit of setting real estate sales records.

Maitland achieved the sales record in Greater Boston with the $18.5 million sale of the Quincy Adams Shaw house in Brookline.   That sale took place in 2001, and has not been bettered in over a decade.  Besides owning the Greater Boston record and Brookline record, he continues to hold sales records in Cambridge, Belmont, Lincoln and Concord.  He also has at one time or another held the sales records in Weston and Boston and expects his real estate efforts in these towns will pay off with new records within the next year or so.

Maitland has just introduced a potentially record-setting  property to the marketplace in 5 Willow Road, Weston, MA 02493 (Click link for details).  This magnificent California-style lodge, completed in 2004, was conceived as a large and comfortable house, and it succeeds in creating grand but livable spaces on a 13-acre parcel of land just minutes from downtown Boston.  This property, offered at $18,750,000, has the potential to break local sales records.

Other top sales from Maitland’s portfolio:

The unusual aspect about Maitland’s market is that by specializing in just the very best high-end properties across a number of towns he is able to be more focused and more knowledgeable on what exists both on and off the high-end market in and around Boston.  This heightened awareness proves valuable when sellers are interested in knowing the value of their home in the context of other high-end homes that have recently sold or are currently on the market or when buyers are searching for a home in Boston or within easy commute to Boston.  Terry Maitland is one who possesses a database –like memory and can instantly recall pertinent and historic information at a moment’s notice.

Having over twenty years of experience in this market not only provides Maitland with an unsurpassed knowledge base, it has also woven him into a network of buyers whose families have benefited from his services.  “I find it particularly rewarding when I earn the role as the family real estate advisor, working with the parents to sell their home, and later working with the children to help them find their dream home,” says Maitland.  “Many of the houses we sold to our clients eight to ten years ago are coming back to us in this market cycle.”

Maitland’s experience with the highest-end properties in Greater Boston makes him a valuable advisor to Sellers and Buyers in the rarefied world of luxury real estate.   Terry’s experience proves invaluable as showing, representing and negotiating unique properties at the top of the market, present unique challenges that require seasoned expertise and unrelenting attention to detail.

Click to view Terry Maitland’s contact information

Click to view Terry Maitland’s public real estate listings, call Terry to hear about those not yet on the market.

Click to view Real Estate in the Boston Area

PrintFriendly
 
Apr
14
Investing in Timberland – Part 1 of 3: Why Invest in Timberland?
By LandVest
 

Landvest Today’s blog entry was brought to you by Daniel Tesini– LandVest -Timberland Division Project Manager and the Director of LandVest’s Northern Timberland Transaction Group, Gary Bahlkow, who recently facilitated this years largest timberland transaction (over 1,000,000 acres of Timberland) to the now largest individual landowner in the US.

Why Invest In Timberland? Timberland is an increasingly popular investment tool – attracting broad interest from institutional investors and high net worth individuals alike.  There are several reasons that make timberland an appealing investment.  First, timberland prices have risen above inflation by approximately 3% for much of the past 100 years – making timberland investment a solid hedge against inflation and a low-risk method of capital preservation.1  Second, timberland investment offers much greater stability and faster appreciation than the stock market as a whole. Over the past two decades, NCREIF’s Timberland Index has risen an average of 15% a year, versus roughly 10% annualized return for the S&P 500.1 Third, timberland has a very low correlation to other asset class investments, which means timberland offers meaningful diversification.1 In essence, the advantage of timberland investment is that trees continue to grow on the stump and appreciate in value notwithstanding world events with otherwise negative financial consequences.

For more detail on this topic click to read the Money Morning article Timber Investing: The Inflation Hedge That Pays Off in Every Type of Market

Click to view Timberland Investment Opportunities

Click to view Gary Bahlkow’s contact information

PrintFriendly