I warned my husband to expect at least 3 days of me interrupting him at all hours to show him some new cool feature that the phone can do. Even he was impressed when I took him outside, pointed to a star and said, “I wonder what star or planet that is?” whipped out my phone, opened up Google Sky Map and found out we were looking at Venus.

It’s not just fun, but a serious work tool as well. My mobile MLS runs much faster than it did on my Treo. I can also group all communication with a client together, integrating text messages, email, voice mail and phone calls together. Pretty slick.

With 10,000 apps for the Android, it looks like my husband is going to have to put up with my gushing enthusiasm for much longer than 3 days!

The new bill will extend the $8,000 1st time buyer tax credit to include all properties under agreement by April 30th as long as they close by July 1st 2010. The income limits have been expanded as well. Single people can now make up to $125,000 while married couples can earn up to $225,000 and still take advantage of the tax credit.

This time there is also a provision for move up buyers. If you have been in your house for at least 5 years, you can sell your present primary residence, purchase a new house and receive a tax credit of $6,500.

Here’s a comparison chart showing the difference between the current 1st Time Buyer Tax Credit rules and the new regulation.

Malden Real Estate Market Statistics as of November 2, 2009

The average days on market is another important statistic to look at. Malden single family homes sold in an average of 99 days on the market. Malden condos sold in an average of 100 days on the market while multi family homes in the city sold in an average of 109 days.

Let’s compare this to what was happening in Malden in February 2009:

The fall market is historically busier than the winter market, so it’s not surprising that the number of months of inventory are down significantly from the winter time. The average sales price of single family homes and condos has continued to slide. Multi family homes have actually had a significant increase in prices. This is primarily due to the fact that there has been a decrease in the amount of short sales and foreclosed multi family properties in the city in the last few months, so less distressed sales translate to less “red tag” sale prices.

I know have daily updated market stats as well and you can go back over the last 5 years to see the trends. Check out more Malden real estate statistics.

Here are the homes currently for sale in the Lawrence and Brooks Estates:

If you’re looking to sell or buy a house in the Lawrence or Brooks Estates, Just email, call or text me at 781-608-4692.

71% of the earth is covered with water, but only 3% is drinkable. Here are some easy ways to reduce the amount of water that you use.

1. Turn off the water when you brush your teeth, shave and wash your hands.

2. Install a low flush toilet or don’t flush each time. My mother is fond of saying “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down. ” A regular toilet uses 3.5 – 5 gallons per flush, so this can quickly save quite a lot of water.

3. Take a shower rather than a bath. Generally a shower will use 1/3 the water of a bath (as long as you don’t take those marathon showers I did as a teenager!)

4. Make sure your toilet isn’t leaking. Put a few drops of food coloring, dark colored fruit juice or instand coffee in your tank. Put in enough so that there is a deep color in the tank. Make sure no one uses the toilet for 30 minutes. Check the toilet bowl. If any color is in the bowl, you have a leak. A silent leaking toilet can waste 30 – 500 gallons of water a day!

5. Mulch your garden. Mulch not only reduces evaporation of moisture from the soil, it will also help cut down on weeds.

Small, easy changes can make a big difference in the amount of water we all use.

On Saturday, October 17th at 10:00 AM at the Royal House Slave Quarters, preservation specialists will talk about Old House Homeownership Basics. Bring photos of your house. This is the place to ask specific quetions you have about your home.

Interested in making your older home more energy efficient without changing its character? Then mark your calendar for Saturday, January 16th at 10 at Springstep when the topic will be Greening the Older Home.

You don’t have to own the home you live in to qualify for the free energy audit. Renters are welcome to use the program as well.

This is a win/win situation – you can save money, lower your energy usage and the audit is free!

Lovely Rehabbed 4 Room 1 Bedroom Condo in Teele Square
$315,000

Beautiful maple kitchen with granite counters & stainless steel appliances. Braided details on cabinets are echoed in braided tile on the ceramic backsplash. Spa-like bath: Relax as the whirlpool tub soothe your cares away. Wall of closets in the BR. Lots of private outdoor space with exclusive use of porch and entire side yard – yes just for you! Central air and clean & economical gas heat. Each unit can access its parking without disturbing other owners. Quiet side street. Walk to Davis Sq., shops and cafes.