Let me tell you about the Spring 2026 real estate market in Central Massachusetts. It’s hopping! We’re talking with so many buyers and sellers right now, and all of the properly presented and priced properties I’m listing are getting a lot of buyer attention, going under agreement quickly with solid terms, and selling at a price that makes sense given the activity around the listing.
Although I prefer our listings to be publicized with my fun and effective visual marketing, sometimes buyers’ and sellers’ situations necessitate creativity of a different type. Maybe it’s a seller getting relocated unexpectedly, and a specific buyer reaching out because they need to buy now and the combinations of features, price and location just line up. You’re not going to see all the visuals – – the video, the social media posts, but I’m still getting the job done over here. But if you are looking to see what movement is going on as far as recent listings that have gone under agreement since my last newsletter issue, I’ll include a few videos of my Ashburnham, Lunenburg, Princeton and Westminster listings that you might have missed. If you’d like to be kept in-the-know on my listings (and every other one that you might be curious about), just use my CONTACT FORM at the bottom of this story, and I’ll get you set up for whatever towns, price points and other search criteria you want to stay updated on.
As far as my upcoming homes and properties for sale (as well as the you-missed-this-one videos), I’ll include a few photos below, showing you what you’re missing if you don’t already subscribe to my newsletter.
As far as the vague details of upcoming listings…in several cases, sellers are working through their final TO DOs, and their timeline for listing is still TBD, but it’s pretty soon.
I’ll include a video below that has gotten a lot of traction. I’m SO awkward, but people apparently look past that, and I’ve gotten great feedback on my combination of information about the upcoming listing and about the town. Potential buyers appreciate learning more about where they are considering buying. I EVEN connected with a new client who found this video from across the whole damn country–didn’t see that coming, and I look forward to working with them!
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I also occasionally meet with people who are considering home modifications to stay where they are instead of selling. I have these conversations all the time. I just met with someone this week who likes their location, likes their house and I told them they may not be best suited to move at all. We talked about modifications they can make to prepare their home so that they can age in place, but also a few fun things they might do to reward themselves for staying where they are. Do not think I’m going to be all over you to sell if you ask me to come in to have a confidential conversation about your home. That’s not my style. In fact, I actually said to a very nice couple this week–I think you should consider staying. There are so many things you can do to make this where you age in place. Also, I don’t want you to think I’m so strong on that opinion that I see another realtor’s sign in your yard. If you sell, you should connect back with me, for sure.
If we’re talking about preparing your house for sale, there are assumptions that buyers and sellers sometimes make about what would be included with a home sale, versus what a seller would be able to expect to take with them. In the real estate world, the differentiation between a FIXTURE and PERSONAL PROPERTY is key to managing expectations on all sides. A perfect recent example: I’m in someone’s main bedroom which has style specific custom drapes, a window seat cushion, and pillow shams. My wonderful stager and I always recommend letting the light in, so the drapes should come down. However, these custom drapes do not go in the seller’s new home. I suggested she gently fold them and stow them away in case the buyers want them. They might not meet their style, decor, or color choice – – but when you first move into your home and you don’t have curtains, privacy would be nice so, even though they wouldn’t be what you would choose at the curtain store, they literally get you through the night. And in this case, they match the window seat for staging. We’ll use the shams in the background to visually tie the fabrics together. When you’re selling your home, ‘things’ are basically either fixtures or personal property. How to know the difference?
I recently had a situation where I was representing the buyers. We were literally at our home inspection, and the inspector was so confused because when he first arrived, he took photos of the exterior. Then much later in the inspection, when he was near the front door, he went to test the doorbell, and thought he was losing his mind. He looked back on his photos from an hour or so earlier. There was a Ring doorbell at some point during the inspection. A family member had come to remove some furniture, which was fine. They were doing their thing (moving), and we were doing ours (inspecting). It appears they were told by the seller that they could go ahead and take the ring doorbell. I’m confident that this was just a misunderstanding, and luckily my clients didn’t really care about having a Ring doorbell, but if you’re selling your house – – you really should have a clear understanding of what is personal property versus what is a fixture. Because not all buyers would have such a good attitude about that scenario.
If something is a fixture, and you intend to take it with you, the best time to do that is before the house is listed and photos are taken. And sure not during the home inspection. Most often this scenario relates to specific lighting fixtures or shelving that the sellers would like to take with them. I always tell sellers if you tell a buyer that they can’t have something that’s in the house, their mind immediately goes to ‘I must have that’. Get any confusion out of the way ahead of time.
Here’s some standard language that we see and purchase in sales agreements that clearly define what stays with the house or the buyers and sellers have for expectations once the deed is recorded, the buyers have the keys and the sellers have their sale proceeds. If you’re planning to keep anything like what is mentioned below, put it on your list to talk with me about it, and we’ll figure a solution.
If you are a buyer and you want something to be included with the house, you just have your buyer agent write it into the offer. I explained to people all the time that the worst thing to happen is the sellers say thank you for liking our items, but we are taking those with us. Window treatments usually get a lot of conversation. I explain to my clients that the default related to window treatment is hanging hardware such as brackets and rods, as well as blinds, stay with the house as a fixture. You would need a tool to remove them and it would make a mess – – that’s how I explain fixtures. Curtains, on the other hand, are personal property. As a seller, you might have a use for those in the future. Some sellers will offer to leave curtains, because even though they might not be the buyers’ style, they provide a level of privacy while the buyers figure out what they might put there as an alternative. Clear communication is key!
Here’s some visual detail from my April 2026 newsletter. If you’d like to be this kind of in-the-know, subscribe to my free, local and fun monthly newsletter here!
If you’d like a confidential conversation about getting your home ready to sell, figuring out the right ownership structure, or finding a good home for that wedding dress — I am genuinely local, genuinely accessible, and I genuinely make myself available. If you, or anyone you know, are moving to (or from) Central Massachusetts, I’m here to deliver an exceptional experience. My team combines strong communication, proven strategies and deep local expertise to guide throughout the home selling and buying process. If you’re considering the purchase or sale of residential real estate, you owe it to yourself to have a confidential conversation with me.
Jennifer Shenk, Real Estate Broker
Keller Williams Realty North Central
107 Main Street, Westminster
Call/Text: 978 870 9260
Email: jennifershenk@kw.com
