Register's Blog

Our monthly report on real estate activity for August, 2011 is available.  The increases in sales and mortgages are encouraging.  While our overall sales volume is down 11% year-to-date, the 716 deeds recorded in August was the second highest number of deeds recorded in a month for a year.

In regards to foreclosure activity, you can see in the attachment to our monthly report the number of foreclosure deeds and foreclosure notices for each of Plymouth County’s twenty-seven communities.  We remain 39% behind last year’s pace year-to-date in foreclosure deeds.  The 130 foreclosure deeds recorded in August across the county may be an indicator that lenders are moving forward more aggressively with foreclosure proceedings.

The Register’s Report for July, our monthly newsletter about real estate activity in Plymouth County, is now available.   The  July 2011 report is the first month you can compare real estate activity month to month without the artificial influence of first time home buyers tax credits. 

With that overview, the deeds recorded for July 2010, 646, and the deeds recorded in July 2011, 643, look comparable. However, of the 646 deeds recorded in July of 2010, 147 were foreclosure deeds while only 77 out of the 643 deeds recorded in July 2011 were foreclosure deeds . These are the kind of subleties people are looking at in trying to predict the future of our real estate market.

All of our recordings for the month of July were well into the pipeline and headed for closings before the tumltuous  debt ceiling debate and the current catastrophe on Wall Street. the impact these events will have on future activity is presently unknown.

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No, not the singer-songwriter!  Captain Joshua James–America’s most celebrated lifesaver.  The Hull Lifesaving Museum is sponsoring a series of events tomorrow, Saturday July 30, 2011, beginning at 4:00 p.m. at the Museum, located at 1117 Nantasket Avenue, Hull.  The museum is the former Point Allerton Lifesaving Station; and James was its first keeper.  The numerous lifesaving stations along Plymouth County’s Atlantic coast are part of Plymouth County’s maritime history.

At 6:00 p.m., there will be a Coast Guard Day Commemeration in Hull Cemetary, where Captain James was buried in a lifeboat in 1902, following a training exercise that caused his death.

Tomorrow night’s events conclude with an event called, The “Illumination of the Harbor”.  Flares can be purchased for $10 per flare.  Proceeds benefit the Hull Lifesaving Museum.  For further information, please visit www.hulllifesaving museum.org.

A recent evaluation of the results of our Green Committee’s Policy Goal #2  ”to reduce lighting and electrical use” in or main office in Plymouth shows measurable results.  Over the first five months of 2011, the Registry of Deeds saw a 33% reduction in kilowatt hours (KWH) of electricity.

Committee members worked together with our department heads, fellow employees and our maintenance staff to improve technology and to monitor the shut-down of equipment at the end of each day.

Special thanks go to committee members John Zigouras, Chair, Barbara Bardon, Gina Clark, Chris Grasso, Beth Sheibley-Goldrosen, Greg White and Susan Wood for their efforts in promoting a greener work-place. The county’s Maintenance Department, including Department Head Doug Wedge and our on-site staff Mike Wholey  and Ed Walsh all played an important role in this accomplishment.

This cooperative effort saved $3000 in electricity costs as compared to the same time period last year!

Thanks again to all involved!

In 1967, the Boston Red Sox were rated as 100-1 longshots to win the American League pennant. They won in dramatic fashion.  Dick Williams, who managed that unforgetable winning team, died yesterday at the age of 82.

During the pre-season, Williams made a modest prediction, “We’ll win more ballgames than we lose”. That team, managed by Williams and led by Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Lonborg, George Scott and other great players, captured the hearts of Red Sox Nation through triumph and tragedy. That was the year  Massachusetts’ native Tony Conigliaro was hit in the head by a fastball mid-season.  He never returned to his former greatness.

Dick Williams managed several other teams after his Red Sox days, including the Oakland Athletics where he won two World Series.  Known throughout his career as a strict disciplinarian, Williams was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 2008.

The climb to the winning of the American League pennant remains a classic story of achievement.  The drama of that season was chronicled in a post-season record album, a vinyl disc that has not withstood the test of time. The narrator of that record,  titled “The Impossible Dream” was Red Sox broadcaster Ken Coleman.  Ken Coleman in his later years was a resident of Plymouth.  His contribution in capturing the drama of that historic season has resulted in his entry into the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds Notable Land Records Collection.

Perhaps the best known Plymouth County resident from that great season is “Gentleman Jim”, now known as Doctor Jim Lonborg, who that year won the “Cy Young Award”, given to the league’s best pitcher.  Lonborg lives with his wife, Rosemary, in Scituate.  Our volunteer display committee made a decision years ago not to publicize anyone’s property while they are still living in their home, for privacy reasons.

To view all of the notable records we have brought forward, please got to the Notable Records Collection on our home page.

The long awaited federal program to help those homeowners who are in danger of losing their homes due to unemployment, underemployment or other certain economic conditions is now available for the submission of applications. The program, called the “Emergency Homeowner’s Loan Program” (EHLP) is being administered by Neighborhood Housing Services of the South Shore. There will be three informational sessions to describe the program listed in the attached notice. For further information, call 508-587-0950 or visit www.neighborhoodhousing.org.

This national program was initiated through a meeting between the Brockton Interfaith Community and Massachusetts’ Congressmen Frank and Lynch at a meeting at St. Patrick’s Church in Brockton late last year.

On Wednesday, June 15th, the East Bridgewater Council on Aging hosted a discussion of the new Homestead Act. The new Homestead Act recently passed by the legislature and signed by the governor makes many positive changes to the statute and expands coverage in several situations. (See Secretary of State Galvin’s summary on this website).

The members of the COA had many questions about how the changes in the law affected their individual circumstances.  A description of the Registry of Deeds and how to get access to their land records followed. Pictures of the event are provided.

The new East Bridgewater Council on Aging facility is underway and is being built on town owned land near Sachem Rock (Route 106).  It is expected to be opened sometime in the fall of 2012.

The Register’s Report for the month of May shows a continuing upward trend in the sale of properties in 2011.  While our recordings of deeds remain 18% behind 2010 deeds recorded, at this time last year the federal tax incentives for first time home buyers were still available.

Mortgages recorded remain only slightly higher despite historically low interest rates. The number of mortgages recorded in 2011 are 35 higher that those filed in 2010.

The number fof foreclosure deeds and foreclosure notices both remain over 40% behind last year at this time.  We  have a community by community listing of foreclosure notices and deeds attached to this report.

Close to two hundred residents gathered for a presentation on the new homestead law recently enacted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Saturday morning program was organized by State Representative Thomas Calter and Oak Point resident Kathy Tougas, through the Women’s Club of Oak Point. Oak Point is Plymouth County’s largest 55+ active adult community.

The new homestead act expands coverage in many different areas, including the ability to file a homestead declaration for manufactured housing at the Registry of Deeds.  As Register of Deeds, I conduct many Senior Issues Forums throughout Plymouth County on a regular basis.  Many are in conjunction with Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s Office, through Plymouth County’s Councils on Aging centers. 

Saturday’s program included a presentation about the homestead, a question and answer period and the opportunity to complete new homestead documents,  which were then notarized and recorded on Monday morning.  Carolyn Lacey, our Brockton satellite office manager, along with two volunteer notaries from Oak Point assisted with the preparation of the homestead recordings.

It was great to be a part of the beautiful active adult community in the heart of Plymouth County on one of our few sunny days!

The Register’s Report, our monthly newsletter on real estate activity at the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds is now available for the month of April, 2011. Our numbers for deeds recorded have been increasing slightly from February through April, although the volume continues to demonstrate that the Plymouth County real estate market is still in the doldrums.

Of particular concern is the increase we are seeing in foreclosure notices–a filing that is often a step towards ultimate foreclosure by the lender on someone’s home. As mentioned in our past blogs and newsletters, this trend back to a higher level of foreclosures has been expected by many, in responce to the national lenders having worked out their problems regarding robo-signing of documents and the filing of missing assignments, therefore re-establing their right to foreclose.

Our report also has a community by community lisiting of foreclosure deeds and foreclosure notices.

Please click on the Register’s Monthly Report on our home page to see April’s statistics as well as any other previous month for comparison.